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Civil Plaintiff

Cook County Commissioners Approve $14M Settlement for Hostile Work Environment Allegations

Cook County commissioners on Thursday unanimously approved a $14 million payment to settle a lawsuit alleging that a pattern of “masturbation attacks” orchestrated by Cook County Jail inmates against assistant public defenders created a hostile work environment that the public defender failed to address.

A separate lawsuit by jail employees against the sheriff’s office is ongoing.

The lawsuit, initially filed in 2017 on behalf of female Cook County assistant public defenders, alleged that authorities did not do enough to stop male detainees from exposing themselves, masturbating and threatening the attorneys in courtroom lockups and the county jail.

The female attorneys’ lawsuit against their boss, Public Defender Amy Campanelli, as well as Sheriff Tom Dart alleged that their inaction has resulted in the sexual harassment only worsening.

 

Read the source article at Chicago Tribune

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