Cuyahoga County will pay $400,000 to former internal auditing director Monica Houston, ending a contentious employment dispute that started when the county declined to reappoint her after her four-year term ended in June 2024.
The payout was signed off on through Resolution R2026-0114, which appeared on the county council’s April 28 agenda and authorizes the county executive to execute a settlement agreement and appropriate the money. According to Cleveland.com, the deal does not include an admission of liability by the county and is structured to cover attorney fees, costs, wages Houston said she should have earned, and other compensatory damages.
What Houston Alleged
In her complaint, Houston argued that she was both discriminated against and retaliated against on the basis of age, race, gender, and disability. She also said the county rejected her requests to work remotely and later pointed to her use of family medical leave when deciding not to bring her back for another term.
The Ohio Civil Rights Commission reviewed the case, which is listed on the commission’s docket as 22A-2024-04283. According to the commission’s June 26, 2025 meeting minutes, commissioners voted that day to reinstate an earlier “no probable cause” finding in the matter.
Timeline And Department Changes
An outside investigator in 2021 reportedly found 10 of Houston’s 11 allegations to be unsubstantiated, and Houston has said she later received negative performance reviews after accusing the audit committee chair of bullying and interference…