ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Lehigh County officials fired back Friday against a lawsuit filed by seven former employees alleging that negligence and discrimination run rampant at the county's 911 call center.
Lehigh County Executive Philips Armstrong is denouncing perhaps the most serious claim listed in the lawsuit - that the center botched an emergency call for an Allentown house fire that killed two people.
The lawsuit claims a dispatcher hung up on a Spanish-speaking man who called from inside the burning home in July 2020. He and his 14-year-old nephew died.
A statement from Armstrong says 911 records show the call was in fact properly received, and within three minutes emergency personnel began to arrive at the scene.
The county also says the man who called and later died, Heriberto Santiago, Jr., actually spoke English during the call, completely contradicting the allegations in the lawsuit.
Armstrong said all tapes pertaining to the incident have been thoroughly reviewed, along with the 911 center’s computer aided dispatch system.
"Normally, we would not comment on pending litigation, but the baseless allegations made in a recent federal court filing are so inaccurate and so damaging to the public trust that we needed to correct the record," Armstrong said in the statement.
The lawsuit's dozens of pages of allegations include improper training and safety procedures, employees sleeping on the job, conducting personal business, and doing activities like watching YouTube while on the clock.
Seven former employees are named as plaintiffs. In addition to Lehigh County, there are seven defendants who were either county officials or worked for Lehigh County Emergency Services.
"The allegations in the complaint are just that - they are allegations. They haven't been proven. Certainly, we'll review all this with employees and officials involved," Tom Caffrey, who is the Lehigh County Solicitor, told 69 News Thursday.
Plaintiffs also say they witnessed a veteran female dispatcher, who is of Puerto Rican heritage, face workplace discrimination and an unjustly hostile environment.
Lehigh County officials say the lawsuit was filed Wednesday night and is yet to be served. Depending on how things play out, the county could have up to 60 days to respond.
