How big were Beaufort Co. settlements in two lawsuits alleging harassment?
Lawsuits brought by three women who alleged harassment in the workplace at the hands of Beaufort County’s former auditor have been settled. The defendants, the county and the former auditor, settled with two of the women for $100,000 each. The dollar amount agreed to for the third settlement isn’t yet available.
This marks the legal end of what one of the women, the county’s elected Treasurer Maria Walls, described as “a decade of abuse and unthinkable behavior that so many ignored and allowed.”
“This ends all pending matters concerning Mr. Beckert’s time as Beaufort County’s time as elected auditor,” said Hannah Nichols, the county’s spokesperson, on Thursday.
Between 2020 and 2022, three women in top positions within Beaufort County sued the county’s now former auditor, James Beckert, for harassment in the workplace. Each of the lawsuits also named the county, which, they alleged, allowed for an unsafe, hostile workplace environment.
Walls was the first to sue, filing her lawsuit in August 2020.
The county’s former chief financial officer, Alicia Holland, filed her lawsuit in September 2020, and Amanda Paulsen, the county’s former assistant deputy auditor, filed two years later in September 2022.
Documents from South Carolina’s Insurance Reserve Fund show that both Walls and Paulsen received $100,000 each for the settlement of their lawsuits. The fund provides property and liability coverage to hundreds of municipalities across the state, including Beaufort County.
Walls’ lawsuit was settled in September and dismissed with prejudice, according to court documents, which prevents the issue from being litigated again in the future. Paulsen’s lawsuit was settled last April, according to court documents.
Holland’s case was transferred to federal court in October 2020, but returned back to state court in March 2024. The lawsuit has since been settled, Holland’s lawyer, Chelci Avant, and the county spokesperson confirmed.
Avant was not able to provide the dollar amount Holland received as a result of the settlement. Since the claim was still open for this settlement, the state was also not able to release the amount.
“The toxic environment that myself and other women had to endure never should have been tolerated,” Walls wrote in a statement to The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette Monday.
“It shouldn’t have been necessary to pursue legal action in order to restore peace and common decency,” Walls wrote, “but I am grateful to have had the opportunity to stand up for myself, to force the behavior to stop, and to finally be able to move on from a decade of abuse and unthinkable behavior that so many ignored and allowed.”
Details behind the claims
Each of the women’s lawsuits include claims of harassment they experienced at the hands of Beckert while working for the county.
Walls’ lawsuit accused Beckert of stalking, harassing and secretly recording her over multiple years. It also accused the former auditor of making inappropriate comments about her pregnancy.
Holland accuses Beckert of harassing, bullying and lying about her for years to the point of resignation.
Paulsen claimed that Beckert belittled, harassed and attacked her character publicly, and that she suffered severe physical and emotional distress because of this.
The women exhausted all other options prior to filing suit, the complaints allege, including seeking help from individuals both elected and employed by Beaufort County at the time. This includes the county administrator and employees within the human resources department, according to the complaints.
Beckert’s conduct was “seemingly permitted by Beaufort County,” the suits allege, which is why the county was also named.
In 2021, Beaufort County sued Beckert for “a failure and refusal” to perform his duties as an elected official. Most recently, the lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice, meaning the issue could be litigated again in the future.
David DeMasters, the lawyer who represented Beckert, said Monday that they do not have a comment on the settlements.
This story was originally published April 25, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "How big were Beaufort Co. settlements in two lawsuits alleging harassment?."
