Harassment and Retaliation Claims Filed Against High-Ranking Santa Barbara County Public Health Officials

Ex-Employee and Two Former Colleagues Sue County, Public Health Officer, and Public Health Director

Former Public Health deputy director Paige Batson and two of her former colleagues have filed a lawsuit against Public Health Officer Henning Ansorg (pictured), his boss, and the county. | Credit: Daniel Dreifuss (file)

In a lawsuit filed last week, Santa Barbara County’s Public Health Officer Dr. Henning Ansorg is accused of making homophobic and racial slurs while on the job and pantomiming the act of loading and shooting a gun while saying of a senior administrator in the department — Paige Batson — “She’s outta here.”

Ansorg, according to the lawsuit, thought he should have had Batson’s job. The lawsuit alleges he sought to discredit the witness who reportedly saw this display of imaginary gunfire, Dr. Noemi “Mimi” Doohan, when he sought to discuss the incident with Batson herself. In that conversation, Ansorg — said to be angry at the time — made hand gestures indicating he thought Doohan was crazy. He is also accused of closing Batson’s office door and confining her in her office during the exchange. Batson, according to the lawsuit, only managed to escape when an administrative assistant interrupted.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Batson, Doohan, and Shellie Robles-Davis — all high-ranking employees with the county’s Department of Public Health. In addition to Ansorg, they accuse the county’s new Public Health Director, Dr. Mouhanad Hammami, of not conducting a good-faith investigation of these charges, among other things. During the height of one investigation in Ansorg’s conduct, Hammami reportedly told one employee he fully expected Ansorg to be back on the job within the week. The County of Santa Barbara is also named as a defendant in the suit.

Prior to the COVID emergency, Ansorg was far from a household name. But as the Public Health Department conducted weekly briefings to the board and the public regarding the latest developments, Ansorg — who wielded the last word when it came to mandatory public health edicts — became a well-known public figure, famous for a low-key delivery even when responding to angry anti-vaxxers who insisted the public health threat had been greatly exaggerated at the expense of their personal liberties.

According to Doohan, a medical doctor who’d been on the job a short time, Ansorg stated at one point that the federal government was “prioritizing monkeypox vaccines for soldiers over faggots.” In another, he allegedly asked a gay administrator why “gay men have so much sex.” Both Doohan and Batson reportedly complained about such remarks, but according to the lawsuit, no action was ever taken against Ansorg as a result.

Ansorg is also accused by Robles-Davis of ordering her to administer vaccines to patients without their consent and to merely estimate the dosages required. Robles-Davis filed a complaint in response.

According to Doohan, Ansorg had told her the county would not prioritize northern Santa Barbara County during the COVID crisis. She took this to mean that Ansorg was discriminating against Hispanic people because North County has a large Hispanic population.

The county’s policy is not to comment about personnel matters or litigation, and in this instance, county spokesperson Kelsey Gerckens Buttitta reaffirmed that policy. “The County takes any allegation made against the County and our staff seriously,” she wrote. “At this time, it would not be appropriate to comment on the specifics of the allegations.”

The filing papers for the three plaintiffs — prepared by attorney Kristi Rothschild — did not mention any specific amount being sought. Batson has since retired; Doohan, reportedly, has been given a choice between quitting or being fired. Robles-Davis alleges she’s experienced retaliation as a result of her complaints and believes she has no choice but to resign. All three reportedly are in despair of ever finding full-time employment in their chosen field of public health.