PENNSYLVANIA
The Justice Department announced last week that it had reached a settlement with Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, to resolve a federal sexual harassment lawsuit against County Commissioner George F. Halcovage Jr., officials stated.
Federal prosecutors resolved the civil rights lawsuit filed against the county.
The consent decree alleges that Halcovage Jr. sexually harassed four female employees and that those employees suffered retaliation when they opposed Halcovage’s sexual harassment, according to officials.
The complaint also alleged multiple incidents of sexual advances, coercion of sexual intercourse and inappropriate sex-based comments occurring over many years.
“All people deserve to go to work each day without fear of sexual harassment and retaliation when they oppose that harassment,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This resolution sends a clear message that the Justice Department will not tolerate sexual harassment and retaliation, especially when it is perpetrated by an elected official who abuses the powers of their office.”
(News Report — One Year Ago)
Under the terms of the consent decree, if approved by the court, the county will, do the following, among other things:
Retain a consultant from a list of consultants approved by the Justice Department. The consultant will conduct a workplace climate survey, propose improvements to the County’s equal employment opportunity policies. Develop a new sexual harassment training program.
The consent decree also includes restrictions on Commissioner Halcovage.
He has refused to resign from his position and can only be removed, under state law, through impeachment in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and conviction in the Pennsylvania Senate, according to officials.
The four women harassed by Halcovage, who have additional claims under state and federal law against Schuylkill County and several individual defendants, will continue to pursue their claims, officials stated.
This lawsuit is part of the Civil Rights Division’s Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Initiative, officials stated.
The initiative aims to eradicate sexual harassment in state and local government workplaces. It focuses on litigation, outreach and development of effective remedial measures to address and prevent future sex discrimination and harassment.
Trial Attorneys Allan Townsend and Amber Trzinski Fox of the Civil Rights Division’s Employment Litigation Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Butler for the Middle District of Pennsylvania prosecuted this case.
Offi Title VII is a top priority of the Civil Rights Division’s Employment Litigation Section. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division and the Employment Litigation Section is available on its websites www.justice.gov/crt and www.justice.gov/crt/employment-litigation-section.