Former Pennington County custodian Linda Bishop is entitled to more than $100,000 in damages stemming from sexual harassment complaints, a federal jury has decided.

Bishop filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in 2006, claiming she was wrongfully terminated after she complained about sexual harassment by her supervisor and co-workers.

The case went to trial before U.S. District Judge Karen Schreier last week, but the trial was suspended for a day and a half due to a blizzard that buried the region. Court officials said jurors chose to convene Saturday and reached a verdict late that afternoon.

Bishop worked for the county from Sept. 4, 2001, to Nov. 1, 2004. In her complaint, Bishop - the only night-shift female custodian - said she was "subjected to sexual advances and inappropriate conduct" by her supervisor and co-workers.

According to the complaint, Bishop told the men to stop harassing her and filed a sexual harassment charge against the county. She claims her supervisor, Rick Burden, retaliated by giving her low performance ratings on evaluations and assigning her undesirable work with unrealistic expectations.

Bishop was fired Nov. 1, 2004, for insubordination, which she claims was a pretext.

The jury awarded Bishop $40,000, plus interest, for lost wages and benefits. Jurors also awarded her $60,000 for other damages, including pain and suffering, emotional distress, humiliation and mental anguish.

Contact Heidi Bell Gease at 394-8419 or heidi.bell@rapidcityjournal.com