The Justice Department announced that it will investigate sexual harassment claims brought by three former secretaries of the probation office. These women are represented by trial attorney, Charles Miller.
The lawsuit, filed in September 2009 in the U.S. District Court in New Albany, alleges that the plaintiffs’ were sexually harassed by Gary Collins, a Chief Probation Officer. According to the pleadings, Collins subjected the women to inappropriate sexual comments, leered at their breasts, and sent them inappropriate emails.
Collins has previously been accused of sexual harassment. In 2002, a lawsuit, also filed in the U.S. District Court, alleging similar facts was settled out of court for a confidential sum.
It is significant that the Department decided to engage in its own investigation. While the Justice Department ill look into claims of employment discrimination and harassment, it will typically only conduct its own investigation when the allegations are serious.
To read more about this interesting case, see the Courier Journal who reported this Kentucky discrimination case.