PARKERSBURG — A longtime employee this week sued the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission and its administrators, accusing them of harassment, discrimination and creating a toxic work environment.

The complaint filed in Wood County Circuit Court on Wednesday on behalf of Heather Enoch names as defendants the SSAC, which oversees scholastic sports in the state; Executive Director Bernie Dolan; Assistant Executive Directors Wayne Ryan and Cindy Daniel; and the estate of the late Gregory B. Reed, who was an assistant executive director at the time of his death in January.

The suit claims the administrators were employed and rewarded by the commission “while willingly allowing, condoning and promoting a toxic workplace which was and remains hostile and peppered with demeaning conduct and with deviant behavior particularly toward females, and in the case of Plaintiff, a female over the age of forty (40) with medical issues, some of which were caused and/or contributed to by Defendants.”

It does not include many specific allegations but says the leadership engaged in, observed, permitted, enabled or condoned “supervisory misconduct to occur against and toward … Enoch, including ridicule, insult, taunting and other deliberate and intentional wrongs” and sought to get her to “terminate her employment.”

Dolan, who earlier this week announced his plans to retire at the end of June, was not at the SSAC office Thursday. Anna Brown, with the SSAC, said the organization had been made aware of the complaint.

“It is being reviewed as it was only filed last evening, after business hours,” she said. “And therefore any comment would need to occur after a reasonable opportunity to complete that review.”

The lawsuit says Enoch’s employment predates the administrators and she has maintained a positive work record and history. She reported “various frequent, severe and pervasive misconduct; harassment; an abusive, disintegrating and hostile work environment; undermining of her work and of her personally; boorish and offensive remarks and conduct towards her” to no avail, the suit says. The complaints were not properly investigated, and, through written and unwritten policies and practices, she and others were discouraged from making such reports or subject to retaliation when they

did, it says.

The suit seeks a preliminary injunction for “proper working conditions, a non-hostile and an appropriate workplace environment,” compensatory and punitive damages, back pay and other lost wages. A trial by jury is requested.

Those named in the suit could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.