A former employee in the Denver District Attorney’s Office has filed a lawsuit alleging systemic pay discrimination.  

Adrienne Greene worked for the office from 1996 until February this year. She first was hired as a deputy district attorney, and then as a chief deputy and ultimately promoted to senior chief deputy in April 2021.  

Greene alleges in the lawsuit filed Thursday in Denver District Court that the office has paid her less than similarly situated male district attorneys, in part because of raises given to several male attorneys in 2013 by former District Attorney Mitch Morrissey. Pay increases were not given to female attorneys in the office at the same time, she claims. 

The lawsuit also claims the office did a study in 2017 that revealed female attorneys in the office were systemically paid less than their male counterparts, and the DA’s office posted salaries of the attorneys online in 2018. Greene also got information about salaries through open records requests. 

The pay disparities were not remedied, the lawsuit alleges. 

A spokesperson for District Attorney Beth McCann said in a statement the allegations are “inaccurate and without merit.”  

“As Denver’s District Attorney, Beth McCann has worked hard to create a welcoming and supportive environment for women. The District Attorney’s Office is a place for opportunity and promotion for all genders,” said the statement. 

The Denver Gazette has also reached out to Greene’s attorney.  

Among the salary comparisons alleged in the lawsuit: 

Greene also claims in the lawsuit that she faced retaliation for submitting complaints about the pay disparities and for reporting sexist and racist behavior by two male attorneys in the office. Both attorneys were allowed to resign when reports of their behavior reached the media, claims the lawsuit. 

An internal investigation allegedly based on a complaint from a victim advocate was opened into Greene in 2019, which was not substantiated by witnesses, the lawsuit claims. The victim advocate allegedly later told Greene two other attorneys and another advocate had bullied her into making the complaint. 

The lawsuit also claims District Attorney Beth McCann asked leading questions about Greene during performance evaluations with the goal of prompting negative feedback from other employees about her. 

Finally, the complaint alleges Greene proposed a Training Chief position for the office and developed a model for the job. The office received funding for the position in 2019 but didn’t actually create it until 2021, claims the lawsuit, and never gave Greene a chance to apply.  

The lawsuit seeks compensation for economic losses, compensatory damages, liquidated damages, attorneys’ fees and costs and pre- and post-judgment interest. The case also seeks declaratory and injunctive relief.