By Rich Lord

Published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on November 28, 2011.

Two former employees of the State Correctional Institution Pittsburgh filed a lawsuit today in federal court accusing the prison’s former leadership of discriminating against women.

Kathleen Troy, 61, of Freedom and Nancy Orr, 55, of Richland, said in their complaint in U.S. District court that former Deputy Superintendent Martin Kovacs undermined their authority and that of other female supervisors at the North Side prison by making false accusations against them and failing to give them needed information. They said former Superintendent Melvin Lockett berated Ms. Orr in front of peers and mocked her hearing problems.

The lawsuit by attorney Vicki Kuftic Horne said they were driven from their jobs and demanded that they be compensated for lost wages, pain and suffering.

Mr. Kovacs and Mr. Lockett are among four top prison administrators who were dismissed in May. Since then, seven SCI-Pittsburgh guards have been indicted on [accusations] that they abused inmates or helped others to abuse inmates.