U.S. Judge Daryl Bloom on Thursday denied requests to dismiss a sexual harassment lawsuit against former Schuylkill County Commissioner George Halcovage and other county officials.

Four women identified as “Jane Does” filed the federal lawsuit in 2021. They allege Halcovage subjected them to unwanted advances for years. They further claim that when they complained, they faced retaliation from supervisors and the county government, including human resources directors.

Halcovage, County Administrator Gary Bender, and former human resources director Heidi Zula had all requested summary judgment, hoping the judge would rule in their favor without a trial.

Halcovage’s motion for summary judgment was based on the argument that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate certain legal elements required for their claims to proceed. However, the court found that there were genuine issues of material fact that precluded summary judgment in favor of Halcovage.

“Viewing the evidence in the record in a light most favorable to the plaintiffs, we find that a jury could conclude that the plaintiffs suffered adverse employment actions at the hands of Halcovage after they reported his unlawful, discriminatory behavior,” Bloom said.

Bloom also denied summary judgement motions from Bender and Zula.

“The evidence, if credited by a jury, shows at the very least a pattern of antagonism by Bender following the plaintiffs’ protected activity,” Bloom wrote in his opinion.

As for Zula’s motion, Bloom wrote, “if a jury concludes that Zula is a supervisor, a basis for employer liability exists, and we find that the plaintiffs have sufficiently set forth evidence from which a jury could find in their favor on their Equal Protection claims.”