http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4185/is_20060906/ai_n16709160
Anyone remember this? It was in the news a few months back. It happend here in St. Louis at the community college which has its own police force Well this cop on the force was obsessed, harrased one of the female staff, even drew his gun, and pulled the trigger, dry firing the gun pointing at her.
Im glad they awarded her the money. Question is if she was a LTC holder and drew on him, returned fire do you think charges would be filed? That would be a justifiable shooting IMO a serious threat to injury, and death.
The cop denied he pointed the gun at her, but other witness also says otherwise.
Anyone remember this? It was in the news a few months back. It happend here in St. Louis at the community college which has its own police force Well this cop on the force was obsessed, harrased one of the female staff, even drew his gun, and pulled the trigger, dry firing the gun pointing at her.
Im glad they awarded her the money. Question is if she was a LTC holder and drew on him, returned fire do you think charges would be filed? That would be a justifiable shooting IMO a serious threat to injury, and death.
The cop denied he pointed the gun at her, but other witness also says otherwise.
St. Louis County jury awards secretary $850K in sexual harassment
St. Louis Daily Record & St. Louis Countian, Sep 6, 2006 by Allison Retka
Find More Results for: "meramec community college sexual harassment "
Co-worker at Meramec...
St. Louis County jury...
Sexual harassment suit...
Campus police officer...
On the eve of a long Labor Day weekend, a jury stayed in St. Louis County Circuit Court until 8 p.m. last Friday to return an $850,000 verdict to a woman in her sexual harassment case against St. Louis Community College.
Caren Sharpe, a secretary at the college's Meramec campus, was awarded $400,000 for emotional distress and $450,000 in punitive damages at the conclusion of a weeklong trial against the school and a former campus police officer, Larry Phillips.
Phillips took the stand during the plaintiffs' case and admitted to a Feb. 11, 2004, incident where he entered Sharpe's office, displayed his gun and said, "If I can't have you, no one will."
But Phillips disputed Sharpe's claims that he pointed the gun at her and pulled its trigger. He also denied making frequent sexual remarks to Sharpe.
A co-worker testified last Wednesday that Phillips relentlessly asked Sharpe to have sex with him, and once told Sharpe he wanted to have sex with her and her mother
The testimony of two co-workers, along with Sharpe's statements, countered Phillips' denials and made the sexual harassment claims a "jury question," said Jerome Dobson, Sharpe's attorney.
Dobson, of Weinhaus, Dobson, Goldberg and Moreland, said his client was thrilled with the verdict. A few jurors approached Sharpe after the trial and hugged her, he said.
"I think they were deeply moved by her testimony," Dobson said.
Priscilla Gunn, an attorney with Rabbitt Pitzer & Snodgrass who represented the college, did not immediately return a call for comment
Lt. Dan Butler, the acting supervisor at the campus police station, was fired along with Phillips just after the gun incident. Employees testified that Butler witnessed many of the sexual exchanges between Phillips and Sharpe, but responded only with verbal warnings.
"I think it was important factor, that supervisors of the college knew about the conduct and didn't do anything to stop it," he said.
Patricia Henderson, the manager of employment for St. Louis Community College's Meramec campus, testified about the college's procedures with sexual harassment. Dobson said she talked about what the college would have done, had it been aware of the ongoing sexual statements Phillips made to the secretary.
Dobson said he was not surprised that the school system is planning to appeal.
"It's generally a rule of thumb that when a defendant is hit with a large verdict, they'll appeal to keep their options open ... or as a negotiation strategy," he said.
Dobson said he appreciated the jury's commitment to stay late on Friday and deliberate on the matter.
"They took the case very seriously," he said. "It reaffirms my faith in the jury system and my awe that someone like Caren Sharpe can stand on equal footing against an institution like the St. Louis Community College."