A Benton County auditor-treasurer candidate is facing a civil lawsuit from a former employee who says she was fired shortly after asking for information about paid family medical leave. Lisa Dethlefs, who worked as an executive assistant at Independent Lifestyles, alleges that candidate Mary Lewandowski, supervisor Cara Ruff and the nonprofit itself engaged in disability discrimination and retaliation against her. The lawsuit was filed in August 2026, months before voters decide the race on November 3.
According to St. Cloud Live, Dethlefs began working at Independent Lifestyles, described as a nonprofit that advocates for people with disabilities and their families while promoting independent living, in November 2025. She disclosed that she had been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and told Ruff she might occasionally need to step away briefly during symptom flares and make up the lost time. Over her roughly three months at the organization, Dethlefs says she requested to work from home or leave early on several occasions because of her conditions.
A Disputed Performance Review
Dethlefs alleges that in February, Ruff gave her a 65-day performance review that contained false allegations, factual omissions, unwarranted criticism and disability-related criticism, according to the complaint described by the report. She claims Ruff told her to dramatically decrease instances of leaving early or arriving late and implied that she should stop requesting disability accommodations. Dethlefs also alleges that Ruff required her to track her hours despite being a salaried employee and gave her less flexibility to work from home than other staff.
The complaint further alleges that Ruff told coworkers in February that Dethlefs had attendance issues and instructed them to monitor her and report back while she was away from the office. Lewandowski reportedly told Dethlefs that the company did not conduct regular performance reviews, yet Dethlefs claims Lewandowski and Ruff later added previously unseen negative reviews and criticism to her personnel file. Per the same account, Lewandowski acknowledged that some of the review's criticisms were false or unwarranted, as well as that other employees received more work-from-home flexibility and that Dethlefs's new duties did not match her original job description — but the complaint alleges she did nothing to stop the “disparate, discriminatory, and retaliatory treatment” against Dethlefs.
The Firing and the Lawsuit
In March, Dethlefs says she asked Lewandowski for information about the Minnesota Paid Family and Medical Leave Act because of severe fatigue. Lewandowski told her to meet in person to discuss paid leave and scheduling — but according to the complaint, fired her when she arrived for that meeting. Dethlefs alleges the stated reasons for her termination were a pretext for discriminatory and retaliatory animus.
Minnesota's paid leave program, as described by the state's Paid Leave office, provides payments and job protections to people who need time away from work for their own health or to care for a family member. Dethlefs is suing for violations of the Minnesota Human Rights Act and the Minnesota Paid Family and Medical Leave Act, seeking at least $50,000 in damages plus reimbursement of her legal costs, the report states.
Denials All Around
Lewandowski, Ruff and Independent Lifestyles all denied discriminating against Dethlefs in separate legal responses, the station's report notes. Lewandowski's response reportedly admitted that she met with Dethlefs but denied the alleged contents of that meeting and denied that disability discrimination was taking place. A pretrial hearing in the case is scheduled for June 16, though the evidence reviewed does not establish the year of that hearing or the case's current status.
Lewandowski told St. Cloud Live on Friday morning that she would respond later, but had made no further communication by Saturday morning. Attorneys for Dethlefs did not respond to the outlet's request for comment, and neither Ruff nor Independent Lifestyles responded to comment requests either, according to the same report.
A Campaign on the Line
Lewandowski, a former Sartell City Council member, announced her candidacy for Benton County auditor-treasurer in a May press release, saying she would bring detailed, strong financial oversight to the county. She previously worked as a human resources and enterprise support director for Jefferson Capital Systems and completed graduate coursework toward an MBA at the College of St. Scholastica. She is one of two candidates vying for the office, running to defeat incumbent Benton County Auditor-Treasurer Christine Schrebing in the November 3 election.
