By Josephine E. Moore, The Register-Herald
BECKLEY, W.Va. — Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney Benjamin Hatfield was hit Tuesday with a civil lawsuit by nine people in his office, including assistant prosecuting attorneys who allege a hostile working environment, sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination.
The suit comes fast on the heels of a request by the county commission last week which asked the state to investigate “allegations of inappropriate conduct” by Hatfield after it was revealed that a woman was asking a court for a domestic violence protective order against him and described herself as a “sexual partner” of the first-term prosecuting attorney who is seeking reelection this November.
A Raleigh County judge found Hatfield and the woman “to have engaged in consensual sexual intercourse on more than one occasion” but denied the woman’s request for a protective order.
Intentions to file a civil action against Hatfield, the Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and the Raleigh County Commission were hand delivered to the Raleigh County Commission and sent via certified mail to the West Virginia Attorney General’s Office on Monday.
