Scott Wartman

swartman@nky.com

Connie McClure-Ellington's estate will get $150,000 about a year after video surfaced of Grant County leaders making sexist jokes and comments about her.

McClure-Ellington died in March at the age of 59 but her lawsuit against the county for political and age discrimination lived on.

The former payroll clerk filed the lawsuit after a controversial videotape surfaced of the judge-executive and deputy judge-executive making comments and telling sexist jokes during a meeting with the Grant County jailer. Some have blamed the release of this video for the rift between Judge-executive Stephen Wood and Jailer Chris Hankins that has led to the impending closing of the Grant County Jail.

McClure-Ellington's lawyer, Gail Langendorf, did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Wood maintains he did nothing wrong and didn't discriminate against McClure. He said he was disappointed in the settlement but that the county's insurance, not the county, will pay the $150,000.

"I wasn't happy about it," Wood said. "The insurance company wanted to settle. I didn't want to settle."

As part of the settlement agreement, the county doesn't admit any fault or wrongdoing.

The county had rejected an initial offer from McClure-Ellington of a $750,000 settlement. The video that touched off the lawsuit and the political firestorm in Grant County came from a surveillance camera at the jail of Wood and Deputy Judge-executive Scott Kimmich discussing the jail budget with the jailer.

They discussed the political consequences of dismissing McClure-Ellington, who had worked for the county for 25 years. Wood made a crude comment about wanting someone younger and more attractive. He later apologized for that remark.