Friday, October 13, 2000
Friday, October 13, 2000 |
|
Current, former Fayetteville city managers sued for harassment By JOHN
MUNFORD A former City of Fayetteville employee and a current employee have filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the city, former city manager Michael Bryant and current city manager Joe Morton. The suit, which was filed in federal court in Newnan Tuesday, claims that Bryant made sexual advances towards former Main Street program director Sherri Anderson and current accounting clerk Amanda Jones. The suit alleges that both Anderson and Jones were harassed by Bryant and other city employees for making their claims of sexual harassment against Bryant. Bryant "would initiate conversations of a sexual and personal nature" with Anderson "on virtually a daily basis," the lawsuit claims. Anderson reported the incidents of sexual harassment against herself and Jones to Fayetteville councilman Al Hovey-King, though the city took no timely action on the allegations, the suit alleges. Hovey-King is not named individually in the suit. "Even after the city became aware of Bryant's sexual harassment of Anderson and others, it took no remedial action to stop Bryant's unlawful conduct and permitted Bryant to remain on the job," the suit states. "By failing to take prompt remedial action, the city permitted Bryant to retaliate against plaintiffs for their complaints of sexual harassment." Bryant resigned in February of this year while the city council began to investigate the claims against him. Morton eventually was hired to replace him as city manager. Anderson and Jones both claim they were retaliated against for reporting the sexual harassment claims, the suit states. They received unfair criticism of their work as part of that retaliation, the suit alleges. The retaliation continued even after Morton had taken over as city manager, the suit contends. Anderson resigned in August, although the suit alleges that the resignation constitutes "constructive termination." In the suit, Jones contends that at one time she became so afraid of Bryant that she stayed at the fire station with her husband, fire chief Alan Jones. Several days later, Bryant was put on administrative leave. Other city employees have unfairly criticized her work as part of the retribution against her sexual harassment claims, the suit alleges. Both Anderson and Jones suffered severe emotional distress, humiliation and sadness due to the harassment they received, the suit states.
|