Former legal secretary Debra Sauers was a disrupter who set herself up to be fired, a deputy Salt Lake County attorney contends.
But Gerry D'Elia, Sauers' attorney, said Friday the county was out to get Sauers because she had crossed County Attorney David Yocom.The Career Service Council, an independent tribunal with the power to reinstate fired county employees, has 10 days to decide the matter. Both attorneys presented final arguments Friday in a case that has taken more than a month to hear.
Deputy County Attorney Jerry Campbell said Sauers was capable of working much faster than she did and was not willing to correct mistakes. One of those mistakes led to a suspect spending 20 days in jail needlessly, he said.
But D'Elia said Sauers was given too many duties and was under stress because of the scrutiny her supervisors were giving her performance. Others made similar mistakes and were not punished, he said.
D'Elia claims Yocom disliked Sauers because she spoke at a political meeting about sexual abuse along with fellow secretary Shauna Clark, who had filed a $1.2 million civil suit against the county and former County Attorney Ted L. Cannon.