Pennsylvania AG's Own Twin Sister Accuses Office of Discrimination
It's been a rough few years for Kathleen Kane. The Pennsylvania Attorney General was arrested and charged with felony perjury, "official oppression," and obstruction of justice last spring -- all stemming from her (alleged) leaking of internal memos meant to embarrass rival prosecutors. A few months later, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court revoked her license to practice law. It was quite a blow to the state's top prosecutor.
And now, Kane is facing allegations of wage and gender discrimination -- from here very own twin sister.
Kane's Porngate Controversy
For two years, Kane has been fighting for her political survival. Once a rising star and often-mentioned potential senatorial candidate, Kane has seen most of her political prospects disappear following the scandal over her leaked memos and failure to prosecute fellow Democrats following a bribery investigation.
Kane is accused of leaking evidence that a state prosecutor in charge of investigating the AG had failed to pursue charges against a Philadelphia civil rights activist -- and had passed around racist and pornographic emails while on the job.
The scandal, involving both the emails and the leak, became known as "Porngate." And, as always, it wasn't the crime so much as the cover up that landed Kane in hot water.
In April of 2015, a grand jury found that Kane had repeatedly mischaracterized her role in the leak, lied on the stand, and attempted to pin her improprieties on subordinates who had opposed her actions. Kane has since lost her law license, her husband, and most of her political prospects.
Et Tu, Brute?
Now Kane's office faces claims from her own twin sister that it paid her less because of her gender. Deputy Attorney General Ellen Granahan, Kane's twin, has filed a complaint with the Equal Opportunity Commission, alleging wage and gender discrimination. According to Granahan, her salary of $88,509 is 17 to 37 percent lower than what her colleagues earn for similar work -- men and women, both.
This is not the first time Granahan has made the news. Kane's twin had worked for the Pennsylvania government for years prior to Kane's election as AG. However, a few months after Kane assumed the office, Granahan was promoted and put in charge of the state's child predator prosecutions. Kane was investigated for nepotism, but eventually cleared of any wrongdoing.
Granahan's new gig came with a 20 percent raise, but it apparently didn't put her on par with other deputy AG's. She filed her complaint against the attorney general's office on December 30th, though news of it broke just yesterday. There's no word if the AG has officially responded.
Related Resources:
- Kathleen Kane's Office Faces Discrimination Complaint (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
- We Finally Got the Name of Pa.'s 'Porngate' Supreme Court Justice (FindLaw's U.S. Third Circuit Blog)
- Pa. AG Reveals State Officials Who Exchanged Pornographic Emails (FindLaw's U.S. Third Circuit Blog)
- Former Porn Copyright Troll Hit With $50K ADA Counterclaim (FindLaw's Greedy Associates)