COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Franklin County judge filed a federal lawsuit against the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office and several of her fellow judges and coworkers Tuesday. Kimberly Cocroft filed the complaint Tuesday, claiming racial and gender discrimination.
Cocroft said she has reached her breaking point.
"This was not something I wanted to do. This was the very last resort,” Cocroft said.
Cocroft filed the lawsuit against the prosecutor’s office along with 20 of her fellow judges and court employees. She said she’s experienced this treatment for the past three and a half years.
One of the first incidents happened in December 2021, after Cocroft had just been elected to serve as an administrative judge. She said two judges came into her office to give her advice.
"They told me that they had heard I was aggressive, I was unapproachable, I was not friendly, and they wanted to help me to have a better year of service,” Cocroft said.
Cocroft said they then shared some suggestions.
"One of the judges gave me a list of Black women whom I should be more like, and he asked me if I had ever heard of these women, and then he said, 'You need to be more like them,’” Cocroft said.
Cocroft said the treatment from her coworkers only continued to get worse, creating a hostile work environment that she said is taking a toll.
"I don't want to break out in hives driving into work. I don't want to lose my hair, which has happened. I just want to be able to do the work that I was elected to do,” Cocroft said.
It’s a problem Cocroft said she has continually tried to address and rectify since the beginning of the year.
"What I have received in return is continued disrespect and insults. I've been ignored, my concerns have been ignored,” Cocroft said.
But Cocroft said she remains hopeful the lawsuit may not have to move forward.
"I always held out hope and maybe that's the eternal optimist in me, that someone would reach out and say hey, we hear you, we see you, we recognize why you're concerned, we apologize for what's happened, we're willing to work with you to make this different and better,” Cocroft said.
The Franklin County Prosecutor's Office told 10TV they are still reviewing the complaint.