DA Shalena Cook Jones is accused of sex discrimination by former assistant prosecutor, who accused her of fostering a ‘BRO culture’ and denying her a promotion because she is a woman

A female prosecutor is an anti-female sexist who denied an assistant a promotion out of fear she would become pregnant and go on maternity leave, a lawsuit alleges.

Shalena Cook Jones, the district attorney of Chatham County in Georgia, is being sued for sex discrimination by former assistant district attorney Skye Musson.

The lawsuit was first filed in April 2022, with Cook Jones being sentenced by Judge R. Stan Baker earlier this week over claims of slow efforts to depose her.

Judge Baker, of the Southern District of Georgia, declared Cook Jones in default for her failure to appear at the deposition, alleging that the Democrat deliberately avoided asking questions, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Cook Jones took the leading role in a rape trial that was scheduled to begin the same day she was to be deposed in court, Judge Baker said.

The judge said the prosecutor did not notify those involved in the trial about the scheduling conflict until the day before she was scheduled to appear.

Prosecutor Skye Musson says she was denied a promotion to the office’s Guns and Gangs Unit because of her gender

The judge also said Cook tried to avoid Jones for months and make a statement before making an appointment. When that date arrived, Cook Jones said she was unaware of the conflict and did not appear.

Cook Jones took over the Georgia office in January 2021. That same month, Musson said she expressed interest in taking over the office’s Guns and Gangs unit.

The role went to a “less qualified, heterosexual male” named Christian Stolfe, the lawsuit alleges.

When Musson complained, she was told that even though she had the same resume as Stolfe, they were “going in a different direction.”

Musson, a military veteran, also said that Cook Jones told her that the Guns and Gangs unit should be supervised by someone who did not want to take extended leave, i.e. maternity leave.

Musson continued to advocate for the role, but was told they needed a man in the office to deal with “male officers, their attitudes and behavior.”

Musson said Cook Jones fired her in April 2021 and characterized her departure as a layoff. Musson now practices defense law in Savannah, Georgia.

In another part of her lawsuit, Musson said another plaintiff was fired because of her continued friendship with the plaintiff.

Judge R. Stan Baker of the Southern District of Georgia ruled that Cook Jones was in default because she did not appear for the deposition

Musson, a military veteran, also said Cook Jones told her the Guns and Gangs unit needed to be supervised by someone who did not want to take extended leave, which means maternity leave.

In his ruling, Judge Baker Cook Jones called excuses for not appearing “utter nonsense built on fabrications.”

According to a report from the Savannah morning news, Cook Jones’ term as district attorney has been riddled with problems, including the loss of 25 prosecutors and the conviction of only 32 percent of murder cases, among the lowest in the state.

Multiple reports indicate her office has struggled to clear a backlog of Covid-19 cases.

Among those who have called for her ouster is state Rep. Jesse Petrea, a Republican, who helped pass a law in the state that allows an oversight board to remove underperforming prosecutors.

In an act of political symbolism, Governor Brian Kemp signed the bill into law in Chatham County.

Musson isn’t the only former assistant district attorney to file a lawsuit against Cook Jones. Former prosecutor Anthony Burton identified himself in his suit as a gay man and said he suffered in Cook Jones’ office because of his sexuality.

He was reportedly fired for gossiping about fellow prosecutors in text messages and reports Savannah now. Burton will appear as a witness in Musson’s case. Burton plans to fight Cook Jones in 2024.

Cook Jones won her seat after a highly partisan battle with Republican incumbent Meg Heap.

Cook Jones made headlines in May 2022 when she announced her office would stop prosecuting marijuana abuse cases involving less than an ounce of the drug.

Like other prosecutors, police chiefs and sheriffs who have halted marijuana enforcement, she cited the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s refusal to test for small amounts of marijuana unless other charges are involved.

“Without a verified test, the state cannot prove that the suspect broke the law,” Cook Jones said in a statement at the time.

Jones said she would still prosecute people with more than an ounce of marijuana, those who sell the drug, those who possess it near children or in school zones and those who drive while impaired.

State lawmakers, mostly Democrats, have introduced a number of bills in the Georgia General Assembly to legalize marijuana or reduce penalties for possession, but none have made progress.