The state’s judicial branch paid a former Butler County probation officer $200,000 as part of a settlement ending a federal lawsuit against the Butler County Common Pleas Court and its head judge.

Crystal Starnes sued the county court, President Judge Thomas Doerr and others in 2017 for alleged harassment and discrimination following a romantic relationship between Starnes and Doerr.

This is an excerpt from Wednesday’s Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full article.