University Settles Sexual Harassment Suit Involving USF Professor for $170,000

January 24, 2017

A former employee of Idaho State University has settled her sexual harassment lawsuit against the school for $170,000.

In the lawsuit, the woman accused her former Idaho State boss, now a University of South Florida professor, of forcibly kissing her and grabbing her buttocks in her campus office in 2013.

She also insisted the university retaliated when she complained by reassigning her to a job in a basement storage room without a computer, phone or specific tasks to accomplish.

The decision to end the lawsuit was made in December, but the final paperwork was finished this month.

ISU issued this statement: “All parties are satisfied with the resolution reached. ISU is committed to the equal treatment, safety and well-being of all of its students and employees.”

The woman was a 28-year-old graduate student, working as an education coordinator for the university’s Museum of Natural History when the sexual harassment occurred. Her boss gave her unwanted attention for months before groping her, according to the suit.

After she filed a complaint, the woman was placed on administrative leave as the school investigated. Officials concluded she was telling the truth. Then she was placed in the basement office.

In 2014, she quit and sued the university for civil and human rights violations. Idaho State failed to have the lawsuit dismissed and, after a trial was scheduled, agreed to settle.

The woman’s 57-year-old boss left Idaho State in 2015 for a job at USF.

Sexual harassment in the workplace is not a thing of the past. In fact, it is a problem that claims countless victims every day across the United States. There are two types of sexual harassment that fall under discrimination. The first, any unwanted touching, comments, jokes and other wrongful behavior that is continuous. The second involves sexually demands, such as demands for dates or sex in return for a promotion, a raise, or threats of retaliation unless the sexual act is carried out.

If you have been the victim of sexual harassment, you should complain to your supervisor or the human resources department. If you have made complaints and it the harassment has continued or nothing has been done to stop it, then you need to take legal action. Our Florida Sexual Harassment Lawyers at Whittel & Melton can help you file a claim. For a free consultation, call us today at 727-823-0000 or contact us online.