Fired McHenry County official files federal suit

A former McHenry County official who was fired last year is contesting her termination in a federal lawsuit filed on Friday.

In the suit, Sue Ehardt, former director of the county's planning and development department, claims she was wrongly fired and was not provided recourse to respond to allegations against her.

A judge on Wednesday dismissed a similar case Ehardt had filed in McHenry County, saying Ehardt did not follow the proper procedures in filing the suit. The judge gave Erhardt 30 days to refile the lawsuit properly.

Erhardt's attorney, Mark Gummerson, and County Administrator Peter Austin could not immediately be reached for comment.

Ehardt worked for the county from 1979 until June 6, 2008, when she was fired for "unprofessional and discourteous" conduct at two Regional Planning Commission meetings in 2008, according to the lawsuit.

In the suit, which denies the allegations regarding Ehardt's behavior, Ehardt seeks more than $50,000 and her old job.