Headline: D.C. corrections sergeant accepts $500,000 settlement, resigns after alleging years of anti-gay harassment
Lead: Sgt. Deon Jones has agreed to resign and accept a $500,000 settlement from the District of Columbia, ending a lawsuit that accused the D.C. Department of Corrections of years-long anti-gay harassment and retaliation. The city said the payment resolves the civil claim without admitting liability. Jones was represented by the ACLU of the District of Columbia and the law firm WilmerHale.
Background: Jones joined the Department of Corrections in 1992, returned after a 2001 layoff in 2006, and rose to the rank of sergeant, serving as a medical liaison. The filing is the latest in a string of legal disputes: he sued the department in 2006 (leading to a 2011 settlement) and reached another settlement in 2019. The recent agreement takes effect immediately and requires his resignation.
Summary of allegations: In his complaint, Jones says he endured repeated verbal abuse and anti-gay slurs from coworkers and some supervisors. He alleges incidents in which colleagues failed to respond to radio calls for backup, and recounts a harrowing episode where an inmate threatened to cut his throat while a supervisor allegedly did not intervene. The suit ties that conduct to a hostile work environment and to tangible threats to his physical safety.
Health and workplace impact: Jones’s legal team says the alleged mistreatment caused serious harm to his wellbeing — more than 15 panic attacks and clinical diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder and major depressive disorder. The complaint also raised concerns about how his role as a medical liaison affected access to care and workplace accommodations.
Responses and representation: The ACLU-DC and WilmerHale brought the complaint on Jones’s behalf. At the time the suit was filed, ACLU-DC legal director Scott Michelman characterized the allegations as evidence of a long-standing pattern of discrimination and said senior officials were aware but failed to act.