On Thursday, December 4, 2025, the Herald-Standard reported that a federal lawsuit brought against Washington County Judge John DiSalle by a former courthouse employee has been dismissed, though the legal action continues against the county itself. Elizabeth Sullivan, who was employed at the Washington County Courthouse for 24 years, alleged she was wrongfully terminated in retaliation for raising whistleblower complaints.

Sullivan’s lawsuit, initially filed in February with the Washington County Court of Common Pleas, was later moved to the U.S. District Court of Western Pennsylvania due to jurisdictional considerations. Sullivan claimed that her 2023 termination was a retaliatory act by DiSalle, who at the time was the President Judge overseeing the problem-solving court where she worked.

U.S. District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand dismissed the lawsuit against DiSalle and former court administrator Patrick Grimm, who had authored the letter informing Sullivan of her termination, on Tuesday. However, Judge Wiegand declined to dismiss the claims against Washington County’s government. Sullivan had accused the county’s salary board of illegally terminating her employment based on misleading claims made by DiSalle that her position was being eliminated.

Judge Wiegand has given Sullivan until December 23 to amend her complaint against the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts (AOPC), the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania, and the Washington County Court of Common Pleas. Failure to do so will result in the dismissal of the federal lawsuit against these entities as well.

Due to the intertwined nature of the federal and state claims, Judge Wiegand has remanded portions of the case back to the state courts without making a ruling on them. Sullivan’s attorney, Noah Geary, expressed satisfaction with the ruling in a written statement on Wednesday, indicating that he anticipates parts of the case against the county government will proceed in federal court, while others will continue in state court.

Attorneys representing DiSalle and Grimm have declined to comment, citing the possibility of an appeal to the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals. A spokeswoman for the AOPC also declined to comment, given the possibility of an amended complaint being filed against the state courts.

In her original lawsuit, Sullivan claimed she raised concerns regarding DiSalle’s practice of denying legal representation to some defendants in the specialized court program he oversaw. She alleged she was fired after alerting state judicial officials to these legal issues.

Specifically, the lawsuit stated that DiSalle denied dozens of military veterans in the specialty court the right to have attorneys present at hearings, and even sentenced some to jail time for program violations. Sullivan claimed that after she informed DiSalle that these defendants were entitled to legal representation, the judge consulted with Grimm in November 2022 and requested that she no longer be involved with the problem-solving court.

Geary stated that DiSalle’s alleged misconduct, including the retaliatory firing of Sullivan for whistleblowing on the denial of constitutional rights to veterans and his alleged racial harassment of Sullivan due to her African-American relatives, would be central to the case.

Sullivan had contacted the AOPC regarding DiSalle’s conduct, which she claims prompted the judge to retaliate by eliminating her position under the guise of a “restructuring” approved by the county’s salary board. The AOPC later investigated Sullivan’s allegations and reportedly found her accusations against DiSalle to be “meritorious,” alleging violations of the state court’s policy on non-discrimination and equal employment opportunity.

Geary further stated that DiSalle allegedly misled the Washington County Salary Board to carry out his retaliation against Sullivan.

The AOPC notified Sullivan in January 2024 that it had taken “appropriate action” on the matter, days after DiSalle announced he was stepping down as president judge but would remain a judge. The lawsuit claims the AOPC “directed” DiSalle to step down from the high-ranking position due to his employment actions against Sullivan.

DiSalle, who has served as a Washington County judge for 20 years, secured another 10-year term in the November 4 election.

 

 

Source: Herald-Standard