El Dorado County’s former human resources director and one-time interim chief administrative officer will be in court April 17 defending her practices when she was an Alpine County employee.

Pamela Knorr

Robert Levy, former Alpine County undersheriff, has filed a lawsuit against Pamela Knorr, three supervisors and Alpine County in federal court in Sacramento. Knorr was CAO at the time of the alleged harassment. (Knorr is currently employed as Butte County’s human resources director.)

The 19-page lawsuit states, “In the aftermath of county and Knorr harassing, attacking, and demoting plaintiff, these defendants assigned certain of plaintiff’s job duties – including certain law enforcement tasks as well as tasks related to plaintiff’s years-long work on county communications projects – to individuals who possessed inferior job qualifications and experience, and who were significantly younger than plaintiff. As a direct, foreseeable, and proximate result of defendants’ discriminatory actions, plaintiff has suffered and continues to suffer substantial losses in earnings and related employment benefits, and has suffered and continues to suffer extreme emotional distress, humiliation, damage to his professional reputation, and diminished employment advancement opportunities in his chosen profession, all to his damage in an amount to be proven at trial.”

Knorr filed her own lawsuit against Alpine County, the sheriff, auditor-controller, and members of the Board of Supervisors while employed there. Alpine County and Knorr settled that dispute for $10,000.

Knorr on April 11, 2013, filed a claim against the county alleging harassment that dated to April 2012 – three months prior to signing the long-term contract. Her last day with Alpine was Aug. 2, 2013. She was paid $80,145.50 on Aug. 7, 2013, and another $80,145.50, on July 1, 2014, as severance per the contract.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report