Warning to our readers – Graphic details of allegations of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct are contained in this story, and could be offensive or disturbing to some readers.
By Scott White
Woodford Sun Staff
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A second lawsuit has been filed against Woodford County for alleged sexual harassment and retaliation by members of Woodford County Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
David Sheeks, a former emergency medical technician (EMT) employed by EMS, alleges in the suit filed last Thursday that he suffered sexual harassment from former Woodford County paramedic David Grubb. Sheeks also alleges he was retaliated against by EMS Director Freeman Bailey and EMS Assistant Director Kent Berry for reporting sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct, including two incidents involving Grubb and female EMS patients, and “constructively discharged” by EMS.
Sheeks is represented by the same lawyers, Eric Branco, Matthew Collins and Patrick Brennan of Frankfort, as another case brought by Naomi Branham.
The two lawsuits have been filed in the midst of competitive local political races, and the two suits name Woodford County Judge-Executive James Kay as the lead or sole defendant, but not for any claimed misconduct on Kay’s part. The lawyers filing the lawsuits deny any political motivation or use of politics as a leverage point. Branco told the Sun he had hoped to avoid litigation in February 2026, to “save Naomi (Branham from filing the lawsuit), but we couldn’t get it done.”
This new complaint filed against Kay in his official capacity does not name the Fiscal Court as a defendant, which the other lawsuit does. Kay is only being sued in his official capacity, and there is no allegation that Kay’s actions were wrongful.
“I was again named as a defendant in my official capacity as the Woodford County judge executive, which is a common legal formality in Kentucky when claims are asserted against a county. The lawsuit does not involve any allegations of personal wrongdoing against me,” Kay told the Sun in a statement. “At this point, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on the specific details of the complaint. Once again, silence should not be confused with inaction. To ensure this matter is addressed with the urgency and gravity it demands, the Woodford County Fiscal Court and our legal counsel will review the filing thoroughly and respond as appropriate.”
Kay went on to say, “I fully understand the impact and concern for our community. We take these allegations seriously. I ask for your patience as the judicial process moves forward to examine all facts fully and fairly. We will navigate this process with transparency, dignity, and steady leadership. I place my trust in God for wisdom and guidance as we fulfill our duties to the people of Woodford County.”
Based on information obtained by the Sun, neither Grubb nor Sheeks are currently employed by EMS. Unlike the Branham complaint, the date of Sheeks’ alleged “constructive discharge,” or when he left EMS, is not provided.
The improper conduct alleged by Sheeks occurred over a period between January 2021 and July 2022. During the bulk of this time period, Sheeks and Grubb were paired as partners.
Sheek’s allegations include Grubb taking video of a patient and passing it around to others, comments about a gravely injured female patient’s breasts and genitals, obscuring the live video between the back of the ambulance and the front cab with Grubb claiming he did so to prevent an intoxicated female patient from embarrassing herself by exposing her breasts, though he said “I enjoyed the view.” The lawsuit also alleges Grubb used racist language and drank alcohol on or immediately prior to a shift.
Sheeks claims Grubb sexually harassed him by making a meme and comments suggesting he was in a same-sex relationship with Bailey.
Sheeks claims Bailey and primarily Berry threatened to retaliate against him if he pursued the harassment claim and conduct violations against Grubb. This retaliation included Sheeks being required to prepare an email stating he was satisfied with the resolution of his complaints against Grubb – that he, Sheeks, was moved to less desirable shifts.
Sheeks also alleges that though Grubb was not disciplined for the conduct, Sheeks witnessed the circulation of the same-sex harassing meme.
Grubb was disciplined for conduct that occurred in 2024 in which he allegedly created a meme of another EMS employee and a woman using a pornographic image with photoshopped faces of the EMS employee and other person and then circulated the image via social media.
The Sun has confirmed this event and that discipline occurred based on documents obtained from Woodford County via the Kentucky Open Records Act, but it is unknown whether Sheeks was still employed by EMS in 2024.
Though the county has yet to file an answer to this new complaint, all civil actions in Kentucky are governed by a statute of limitations, which is the time within which a lawsuit must be filed and if too late is subject to dismissal.
It is not known what limitations period applies to Sheeks’ claim, but his attorney, Branco, in an interview on WLEX-TV Aug. 27, when asked why the lawsuit was just filed, said, “Sheeks came to me after Naomi (Branham)’s story was made public, and I think that gave him some kind of courage along with support from his current EMT job.”
In an interview with the Sun, Branco said though “the complaint speaks for itself (so far as the allegations are concerned) how Sheeks complaints were handled is like a prequel to how they dealt with Naomi (Branham), like their playbook.”