OCTOBER 11 UPDATE:

Bullying, threats, and misuse of public resources – those are just some of the allegations against former Washoe County Human Services Agency director Amber Howell, outlined in a third-party investigation that the county paid for in June 2023.

The District Attorney’s Office released that investigation this week as part of a motion to dismiss Howell’s $300,000 lawsuit against the county.

In her suit, Howell claims that Washoe County violated her rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act by forcing her to resign after she was diagnosed with a mental health illness.

Her attorneys also say the county retaliated against Howell after she blew the whistle on another county employee displaying preferential treatment to at least one homeless client accepting services at the Cares Campus.

But Washoe County attorneys are arguing that Howell did not have a qualifying disability, is not protected by ADA, and does not have enough evidence to support that the county ever retaliated against her or coerced her into resigning.

In fact, they say, it was Howell herself who engaged in misconduct.

Investigators write that alongside threatening and bullying HSA staff members; Howell used her position for her personal interests.

In one case, investigators claim that Howell tried to meddle in the case of an infant in foster care, who she allegedly grew attached to, and told staff members to “find a reason why the infant could not be placed with his grandmother” so that he could instead stay with a family in-state, closer to Howell.

Investigators also accuse Howell of failing to follow county procedures that have to do with purchasing gift cards and resources for HSA clients.

Multiple employee accounts claim that Howell asked for gift cards and expensive items like laptops and baby supplies, without filing paperwork to show where those resources were going.

In at least one case, investigators say Howell tried to pressure an employee into using his county purchasing card to buy her an iPad.

Employees also told investigators that Howell had pressured them for prescription narcotics.

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

The former director of Washoe County Health and Human Services, Amber Howell, is suing the county for $300,000.

In the lawsuit filed with the U.S. District court in Nevada, she and her attorneys allege that county employees retaliated and discriminated against her after she flagged federal policy violations.

Howell claims that in summer 2022, she learned that the county employee who runs the Continuum of Care program had been giving preferential treatment to at least one homeless client at the Cares Campus.

Despite a low housing assessment score, a criminal background, and mistreatment of Cares Campus Staff, the client allegedly moved to the top of the county’s waitlist for federal housing vouchers and a permanent housing match.

Howell claims that this happened at the discretion of the employee running the Continuum of Care program, and that the employee’s actions violated U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development policy.

Howell goes on to say that when she flagged this violation with an assistant county manager, the county took no action.

Later in April 2023, Howell says the county launched an investigation against her, following complaints from county employees and allegations that she had been using substances on the job.

She says she tested negative for drugs and alcohol, but weeks later the county placed her on unpaid leave.

Howell says that while the investigation was ongoing, she was diagnosed with several mental health disorders and was seeking treatment. She says that she gave the county notice of her disabilities and requested federally protected leave.

In July 2023, Howell says the county manager sent her a letter informing her that he would be recommending that the county commissioners terminate her.

Howell’s attorneys say in the complaint that the county forced her to resign because if she were to challenge the recommendation to terminate her job, she would have had to release her health records to the public in an open meeting with county commissioners.

Her lawyers also argue that the county retaliated against her for flagging the initial federal policy violations at the Cares Campus, and that the county further discriminated against her by failing to provide her with reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

2 News Nevada reached out to Howell’s attorneys and Washoe County, but both said that they could not provide any comments on pending litigation.

2 News Nevada also contacted the county employees listed in the lawsuit, but did not hear back from them.