Cook County court reporter complains of bullying in 'hostile work environment'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Employees across many industries are often expected to follow some sort of code of conduct, something that defines what's acceptable in the workplace, a set of values and principles.
CBS 2 found something missing from the code of conduct - in our courthouses, of all places. Lauren Victory introduced us to the woman looking for justice inside the halls of justice.
The daily flow in and out of George N. Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago brings case on top of case about murder and mayhem.
Regina Clemmer listens to many horrible stories and records each detail as a Cook County court reporter. They're tasked with writing every word spoken in a courtroom.
"You have to have concentration," said Clemmer who adds that deep focus is needed for hearing after hearing. Some proceedings can take hours. Court reporters join a crucial crew in the courthouse.
"You got security. You got judges. You should be safe," said Clemmer.
But she's felt anxious for years inside the halls of justice. Clemmer shared some of the uncomfortable situations involving her former co-worker with CBS 2. "She would block my path. She would take her computer bag and strike me as she was walking."
Clemmer said the fellow court reporter recruited several others. They apparently called themselves "The Family."
"I was tripped. I was hit. I was pushed. I was shoved," Clemmer said of the group.
Disciplinary documents show Cook County's Office of the Chief Judge looked into Clemmer's complaints in 2016.
"It was investigated what happened in that office. It was deemed a hostile work environment," she said.
"Bullying" and "race discrimination" were confirmed, too. Those serious workplace issues that led "The Family" to be broken up. Some court reporters were ordered to transfer to other county court buildings.
Clemmer's tried to make peace with her problems through therapy, yoga and volunteering with dogs. But, more than six years after that internal county investigation, the stenographer says a bully still lurks in the Chicago courthouse.
"We were told to stay away from each other," said Clemmer of a current co-worker.
That means working in different areas of the building and using separate bathrooms. The other court reporter is "aware that she should avoid Ms. Clemmer's hallway" says a supervisor's email in 2022. According to Clemmer, the bullying persists.
"She walks up and down hallway. She stands outside my door," Clemmer said.
"This person has learned I can push somebody's buttons just by standing in the hallway and looking at them in an intimidating way," said Susan Johnson, an associate professor from University of Washington Tacoma.
Johnson studies workplace bullying and explains the psychological effect: "You're always in this constant state of alert or threat."
That's not exactly conducive to a job that requires intense concentration. Clemmer's complained to her higher-ups but claims the solution given to her by a supervisor is to "look down at the floor." An internal document shows that supervisor denied saying that.
Clemmer claims management even suggested she transfer to a different courthouse and avoid the problem by moving. That same recommendation by the same administration recently cost taxpayers more than a $1 million.
"I'm sort of like, in the recovery phase," said Helen Miller whose lawsuit CBS 2 reported on last year.
Miller was also a Cook County court reporter who also complained about a "hostile work environment" then also was encouraged to move to a different court location. Clemmer felt compelled to reach out to Miller after seeing her story on CBS 2.
"The way we were talked to was so similar," said Clemmer to Miller over Zoom. "'You're an embarrassment. Why don't you leave? Why don't you transfer?'"
"It's disheartening, you know? And really, it stems greatly from how the administration is run. How things are ignored," Miller said.
In Miller's case, an independent judge suggested a "reasonable jury" would find her managers were "apathetic" to her hostile work environment claims. They apparently "failed to investigate" or "follow its own policies" which led the Office of the Chief Judge to settle with Miller. Total cost: $1,268,247.20 billed to the residents of Cook County.
"I think management wasn't trained. They don't know how to handle a situation like this," said Clemmer. "This is what's going on in this office and, you know, it's affecting people's lives."
She is hoping management comes up with a better solution to dealing with her workplace issues. Clemmer also would like to annual trainings on topics like sexual harassment be updated to include sections on bullying.
The Office of the Chief Judge could not comment on Ms. Clemmer's complaints. We're told the Office of the Chief Judge cannot comment on litigation of any kind and Clemmer is currently fighting a case against some of the individual court reporters.
Her allegations and Miller's settlement left us wondering if there could be more cases of courthouse bullying that turn into lawsuits and if so, will taxpayers be on the hook?
Normally, CBS 2 would submit a public records request to obtain data about the number of hostile work environment and/or bullying claims filed within our justice system, but the Office of the Chief Judge is not subject to Illinois' Freedom of Information Act. Instead, a spokesperson gave CBS 2 a list of cases where disciplined was imposed.
"In the interests of transparency, the Office of the Chief Judge attempts to provide information required to be provided by FOIA, unless the information is confidential," we were told. The list provided to CBS 2 shows 14 internal investigations into bullying, harassment and/or sexual harassment among co-workers that resulted in discipline (usually suspension) since 2009. Those are cases came from various departments overseen by the Office of the Chief Judge including Official Court Reporters, Juvenile Probation and Court Services Department, Office of the Public Guardian and others.
In general, who watches over Illinois court reporters can be tricky to follow.
They're employed at a county level but their paychecks come from a state agency called Court Reporting Services.
Court reporters are expected to follow a code of conduct but there's nothing specifically written in there about bullying.
That could change now.
The head of Court Reporting Services tells us she is going to bring up our story and talk about possibly updating the Code of Conduct when she meets with the chief judges this June.
