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Sexual harassment settlement costs Racine County taxpayers $55,000

Posted at 6:18 PM, Jan 08, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-09 08:57:37-05

RACINE COUNTY -- A years-old sexual harassment claim has renewed interest after taxpayers paid a $55,000 settlement.

The federal lawsuit claimed a temp worker was harassed by her manager in the medical area of the Racine Correctional Institution. Both of whom we are not naming.

The alleged victim claims, among other things, she was kissed on the lips. According to court records, "The kiss was not welcomed and it offended, frightened and disgusted the Plaintiff."

She claims when she reported it to her supervisors, she eventually lost her job.

"Her contractor was not renewed so they essentially terminated her," said Canfield.

Her lawyer has advice for people who want to come forward with claims of their own.

"Just write down everything that's happening, [such as] 'I got written up on such and such day by this person for this reason,' and categorize how anything changes, because that's what you gotta watch out for in terms of retaliation," said Lawyer Jason Canfield.

We reached out to leaders with the Department of Corrections for an interview and were denied. Spokesman Tristan Cook sent us a statement that reads in part: "The case was settled by the Wisconsin Department of Justice. In the settlement, DOC did not make any admission of liability or wrongdoing and disputes the allegations as presented."