Firefighter Harassment Suit Goes to Jury
Previously here on the Blawg, we reported on a case in which San Diego firefighters are suing for sexual harassment after being forced to participate in a gay pride parade.
Closing arguments have been made and the case is now in the hands of the jury. The four plaintiffs seek between $500,000 and $1 million each.
The city contends that the firefighters should get nothing. It argued that being ordered to drive a firetruck in the parade is no different than being ordered to fight a fire, noting that many city employees participated in the parade without incident.
Chief Deputy City Attorney Maria Severson says the crowd treated the firefighters “like rock stars” and cheered them. ”Four million dollars for being in a parade for an hour and a half?” she scoffed.
The plaintiffs’ attorney says the city violated its anti-harassment policy by ordering the firefighters to participate despite complaints about lewd behavior in previous parades. He compared the incident to other harassment cases, saying the city would never put female employees in a situation where “gestures of a sexual nature” were likely to occur. “Can you imagine if a woman is working in an office and there’s pornography on the computer next to her, and a supervisor says, ‘Just avert your eyes,’” he asked.
Stay tuned — the verdict should be coming soon. In the meantime, click here for more.
