Hostile Work Lawsuit Against Former County Attorney Settled

CONCORD, NH — A former rape investigator who said she was targeted by a former county attorney settled a civil lawsuit against the attorney and county in October 2021.

Jennifer Adams, an investigator with the department’s former sexual assault unit, received $165,000 in consideration, lost pay, and compensatory damages as part of the settlement against Merrimack County and Robin Davis, the county’s former attorney. Adams’ firm, Douglas, Leonard & Garvey, received $35,000.

According to news reports, issues arose a mere six months into Davis’ only term as county attorney that led to eight employees either resigning or having their positions eliminated. One employee, Adams, who lives in Tilton, was placed on paid leave in June 2019, after accusing Davis of harassment and humiliation. She resigned later.

“Due to the actions of Robin Davis, I have been unable to serve the most vulnerable citizens who are victims of the worst crimes because our county attorney has this victim-blaming, defense-oriented attitude and has abused, humiliated, berated and attacked me,” Adams wrote in her letter to the county at the time. “She holds a great level of contempt towards law enforcement and me in particular. Because there is no way to resolve this (and) I am forced to resign.”

Adams hired attorney Chuck Douglas, a former New Hampshire Supreme Court justice and Representative to Congress, to handle her case in August 2019. She also filed a complaint against Davis, who lives in Epsom, with the New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights. In the suit, Adams claimed wrongful termination, intentional infliction of emotional distress, gender discrimination, and aiding and abetting unlawful discriminatory practices.

The complaint led to a consultant being hired by the county which later found Davis’ behavior went beyond what was considered “generally acceptable” workplace conduct performance. The consultant found Davis’ changes upon taking office created instability and she did not appear to harbor empathy for or understanding of her underlings.

A number of police chiefs also raised concerns about the turmoil in the office — especially when it came to sexual assault prosecutions. In the past, there was a “very robust and professional strategy,” as Bradley Osgood, Concord's police chief, termed it at the time, but the dismantling and exodus of attorneys, with a lot of experience handling horrific crimes, was stunning.

As part of evidentiary submissions, Adams claimed Davis began a meeting once saying her agenda was to target police officers. She was accused of raising issues about high-profile rape cases and accused officers of victimizing victims just like perpetrators, the suit claimed. Adams, who had been an investigator or police officer for more than 15 years, also said Davis would regularly walk up and down halls loudly proclaiming that she was the boss, made the rules, and was not to be messed with — behavior employees found to be bizarre. During the course of the case, the civil complaint was amended as more information became available.

Davis, while not speaking about specifics, denied the allegations.

The county later, while acknowledging many of her complaints were legitimate, offered Adams the ability to work away from Davis, with a go-between in place. She rejected the proposal since it was not a solution to fixing a hostile work environment that the consultant confirmed existed.

In November 2019, the county attempted to have the case dismissed

“The allegations by Adams are nothing more than the complaints of an employee who disagreed with a new supervisor and are not sufficient as a matter of law to bring a cognizable claim for the intentional infliction of emotional distress,” attorneys for the county said in a court motion.

A turn in the case occurred after related to Griffin Furlotte, a teenager from Pembroke who was being investigated and later accused of brutally raping and videotaping a teenage girl, and posting the video on Snapchat, and raping and strangling a second girl. Media outlets began contacting Davis about the case and she said later she was caught by surprise because staff did not brief her, news reports stated. She also stated the claim, under oath, as part of the civil case mediation as a reason why Adams was targeted.

Furlotte later pleaded guilty to lesser charges — simple assault, as well as nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images, a plea agreement that shocked many. He received a suspended sentence but must register as a sex offender.

However, text messages were provided to the court showing Adams did inform Davis she was working on the Furlotte case with Pembroke police, challenging Davis' assertions.

Since the position of county attorney is an elected office, county commissioners have little oversight of the office, which required any action against Davis to be taken via a lawsuit or at the ballot box. In November 2020, Paul Halvorsen, a city prosecutor, bested Davis by around 1,200 votes.

Between April and October, a settlement was worked on and reached in the case. On Dec. 3, the civil suit was released.

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