Former Assistant District Attorney Amanda Newton resigned on March 21, 2025
By Andrew Harris
Amanda Newton served over two decades as an Allegany County Assistant District Attorney, working under District Attorneys Terrance Parker, Keith Slep, and Ian Jones. Her law enforcement work included prosecuting every level of offense from managing the County Traffic Diversion Program, handling cases in the Appellate Division, and prosecuting the highest-level violent felonies.
Newton resigned earlier this year after having her healthcare insurance benefits terminated. In addition to the years of discriminatory treatment, Newton considered ending her healthcare insurance coverage, ‘the straw which broke the camel’s back.’ She is a single mother of two children, and according to Newton:
“Removing mine and my children’s health care coverage over an administrative technicality, not once, but twice in one year was just more disregard for me as a human being. Having already been treated as a second-class member of the District Attorney’s Office for years, I finally reached a breaking point.”
After resigning, Newton took stock of her career in Allegany County and took a hard look at her most recent five years of service. Two points of fact stood out to her, her compensation and her experience. She wants to be clear that:
“I was consistently paid less for handling a similar and sometimes larger caseloads than my less experienced male counterparts. Having lived in this reality, it didn’t really sink in until I took an objective look at the bigger picture. I truly care about the victims of crime and doing justice. At least three times in five years, a male colleague’s employment would end and their cases were in shambles. Many cases were ‘dead’ because of speedy trial laws. I went through hundreds of files late into the evenings to try and salvage what I could. Things were not always that way. My early career under Hon. Terrence M. Parker, was a time that I am so grateful for. I am forever appreciative of his wisdom and guidance.”
Ironically, on April 29, 2025, Newton received the J. Thomas Fuoco Award for service to Crime Victims, awarded by the Allegany County District Attorney’s Office.
Lindy Korn, a well-respected Buffalo attorney who specializes in such discrimination cases, has been retained and filed a complaint in Allegany County Supreme Court on behalf of Newton. Korn commented to the Wellsville Sun: “I’m honored to be representing Ms. Newton in this matter and commend her for putting herself in the bullseye. By standing up to this sort of discrimination she will be helping empower others who find themselves in a similar situation.”
That court filing lists three key elements of the case:
1- The Defendants, all acting in their official capacity are Former District Attorney Keith Slep, Current District Attorney Ian Jones, Allegany County Chairman W. Brooke Harris, Allegany County Administrator Carissa Knapp, and Allegany County Personnel Officer H. Robert Budinger.
2- One hundred fifteen (115) “Material Facts,” which detail the grounds for lawsuit.
3- Two “Cause of Action,” Unequal Pay in violation of NYS Labor Law and Unequal Pay in violation of the Equal Pay Act.
The entire court document can be accessed below.
Because the matter includes multiple conflicts of interest, this complaint is expected to be moved to another court within the Eight Judicial District of New York. Sitting Supreme Court Judge Terrance Parker is obviously conflicted as a former District Attorney and supervisor of Ms. Newton, and Judge Thomas Brown is retiring from the bench at the end of this year. Brown’s presumed successor is current District Attorney Ian Jones, a named defendant.
The complaint was filed in Allegany County Supreme Court on Monday October 20. As of this reporting Allegany County has yet to respond to Newton’s complaint.
