FILE- Redmond City Hall in 2017.

A city of Redmond employee on July 3 filed a lawsuit against the city for discrimination and alleges the city is paying her less than male colleagues, despite being told she’d earn the same amount.

The plaintiff, Michelle Hebert, is seeking $52,872 for economic and non-economic damages including aggravation, inconvenience, indignity, physical and emotional distress and loss of professional reputation.

According to the lawsuit, Hebert resigned from her previous part-time position where she earned $2,000 per month to become a programs assistant with the city in 2022.

She was assured that she would be paid at salary grade 14, which ranges from $4,593 to $5,646 per month.

According to Randy Harvey, Hebert’s attorney, public records showed former male employees employed by the city as program assistants were placed at salary grade 14.

The lawsuit states that the position was

previously held by male employees with the same or similar levels of education, training and

experience as Hebert, who performed work of comparable character in the same work

environment, hours and workday.

Hebert alleges that she was instead paid at salary grade 11, which ranges from $3,968 to $4,877 per month according to Redmond’s employee pay scale.

Hebert’s signed and dated employment contract with the city, however, states that the salary for the position starts at salary grade 11. In February, the position was reclassed to grade 12, and increased Hebert’s monthly salary from $4,463 to $4,686.

Harvey said they previously sent a tort claim to the city but they never responded.

“We’ve heard nothing from the city,” Harvey said. “They didn’t have enough respect for the tort claim to even call us.”

Harvey said since the city never responded to the tort claim, they had to file suit which he said was unfortunate and could’ve been avoided.

According to Harvey, the pay difference between what Hebert was told she’d be paid and what she was actually paid is roughly $770 per month or roughly $9,240 per year.

“She gave up a part-time job expecting that she would get that higher salary and then they didn’t give it to her,” Harvey said. “She has to stand up for herself.”

According to Keith Leitz, city attorney, Redmond determines employee pay by looking at how similar positions in other cities are compensated and conducting internal studies. Each pay grade has a number of “steps” that employees can move up, but the grade of a position is normally set in stone.

“Each position has a grade that it’s assigned to and that doesn’t change,” Leitz said. “You wouldn’t go up in grade unless you switched to a different position.”

Heather Cassaro, Redmond’s communications director, said the city could not comment on ongoing litigation.

The city has until Aug. 2 to file a response to the suit.