NYC police Sargent sues male boss for sexual harassment

[Coito ergo sum]

An NYPD sergeant has filed a complaint that claims he's being sexually harassed by his male boss, the Daily News has learned.

Sgt. Nelson Fernandez, a nine-year NYPD veteran, said he's "fed up" with the unwanted advances from Transit District No. 4 commander Deputy Inspector Thomas Connolly.

Fernandez, who has filed a formal complaint with the NYPD's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, said the most bizarre come-on took place in Connolly's Union Square office.

"He'll call me in for no particular reason," Fernandez told the Daily News. "Then he'll lounge back with his feet up, and he puts a pen in his mouth and starts sucking on it in a sexual manner."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/201 ... z1OVhOdhbx

[Lozzer]

An NYPD sergeant has filed a complaint that claims he's being sexually harassed by his male boss, the Daily News has learned.

Sgt. Nelson Fernandez, a nine-year NYPD veteran, said he's "fed up" with the unwanted advances from Transit District No. 4 commander Deputy Inspector Thomas Connolly.

Fernandez, who has filed a formal complaint with the NYPD's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, said the most bizarre come-on took place in Connolly's Union Square office.

"He'll call me in for no particular reason," Fernandez told the Daily News. "Then he'll lounge back with his feet up, and he puts a pen in his mouth and starts sucking on it in a sexual manner."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/201 ... z1OVhOdhbx

Hero

[Coito ergo sum]

The "victim" was asking for it, what with the tight pants and the "come hither" look in his eyes all the time. Oh, yeah. He wanted it.

[maiforpeace]

The "victim" was asking for it, what with the tight pants and the "come hither" look in his eyes all the time. Oh, yeah. He wanted it.

Unoriginal and unfunny.

Good for him. That must have become intolerable, with his work colleagues chiming in like that. I hope he nails that bully's ass.

[Coito ergo sum]

The "victim" was asking for it, what with the tight pants and the "come hither" look in his eyes all the time. Oh, yeah. He wanted it.

Unoriginal and unfunny.

It was a little funny. Frankly, if we're going to be serious about it, if the allegations in the article about ribbing by his coworkers and sexual innuendo from the boss are the worst allegations, then it's not much of a case. Cops breaking each other's balls with sexual banter, innuendo and other such comments? Doesn't sound too unusual. The only real difference here is that the victim is alleging the perpetrator was gay.

Good for him. That must have become intolerable, with his work colleagues chiming in like that. I hope he nails that bully's ass.

Work colleagues "chiming in" is not unusual. The only questions here is whether his work environment has become so intolerable and offensive that it rose to the level of a change in the basic terms of his employment, and whether the harassment was because of the alleged victim's "sex" (i.e. was it because the victim was a man). Sexual harassment law is not a speech code, or so said the SCOTUS several times, although in practice it operates as such.

[maiforpeace]

The "victim" was asking for it, what with the tight pants and the "come hither" look in his eyes all the time. Oh, yeah. He wanted it.

Unoriginal and unfunny.

It was a little funny. Frankly, if we're going to be serious about it, if the allegations in the article about ribbing by his coworkers and sexual innuendo from the boss are the worst allegations, then it's not much of a case. Cops breaking each other's balls with sexual banter, innuendo and other such comments? Doesn't sound too unusual. The only real difference here is that the victim is alleging the perpetrator was gay.

Good for him. That must have become intolerable, with his work colleagues chiming in like that. I hope he nails that bully's ass.

Work colleagues "chiming in" is not unusual. The only questions here is whether his work environment has become so intolerable and offensive that it rose to the level of a change in the basic terms of his employment, and whether the harassment was because of the alleged victim's "sex" (i.e. was it because the victim was a man). Sexual harassment law is not a speech code, or so said the SCOTUS several times, although in practice it operates as such.

Just because it's not unusual behavior doesn't make it OK...you clearly have never seen harrassment, or been harassed in the workplace. When does it become sexual harrassment, CES? When somebody physically starts groping you?

[HomerJay]

Good for him. That must have become intolerable, with his work colleagues chiming in like that. I hope he nails that bully's ass.

You're assuming it's all gone down as described, the boss may have a defence.

[Coito ergo sum]

The "victim" was asking for it, what with the tight pants and the "come hither" look in his eyes all the time. Oh, yeah. He wanted it.

Unoriginal and unfunny.

It was a little funny. Frankly, if we're going to be serious about it, if the allegations in the article about ribbing by his coworkers and sexual innuendo from the boss are the worst allegations, then it's not much of a case. Cops breaking each other's balls with sexual banter, innuendo and other such comments? Doesn't sound too unusual. The only real difference here is that the victim is alleging the perpetrator was gay.

Good for him. That must have become intolerable, with his work colleagues chiming in like that. I hope he nails that bully's ass.

Work colleagues "chiming in" is not unusual. The only questions here is whether his work environment has become so intolerable and offensive that it rose to the level of a change in the basic terms of his employment, and whether the harassment was because of the alleged victim's "sex" (i.e. was it because the victim was a man). Sexual harassment law is not a speech code, or so said the SCOTUS several times, although in practice it operates as such.

Just because it's not unusual behavior doesn't make it OK...you clearly have never seen harrassment, or been harassed in the workplace. When does it become sexual harrassment, CES? When somebody physically starts groping you?

I am willing to bet I have a greater familiarity with sexual harassment than just about anyone on this forum.

No, it does not require physical groping.

Exactly where the line is depends on the facts and circumstances of a given case, and is not solely dependent on someone making the accusation. The person making the accusation has the burden of proof.

To be harassment it has to be unwelcome physical or verbal conduct of a sexual nature. The conduct must be more than teasing, offhand comments, or isolated incidents that are not very serious. Harassment is illegal when it is so frequent or severe that it has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work performance or creates a hostile or offensive work environment or when it results in an adverse employment decision (such as the victim being fired or demoted).

It's not clear from the article whether the incidents alleged, if true, are severe and pervasive enough to either unreasonably interfere with the individual's work performance or to create a hostile or offensive work environment. Some additional detail about the frequency and severity of the alleged conduct is needed. Some teasing and exposure to sporadic sexual come-ons is not something that would rise to the level of sexual harassment.

[Xamonas Chegwé]

I find this article a little short on facts and very one-sided in that it seems to take the Sergeant's allegations as true. There are a number of scenarios here that could fit the scenario: -

1. The Deputy Inspector may be a sexually predatory homosexual that is making unwanted advances towards a heterosexual subordinate, as claimed.
2. The DI may be known to be homosexual and the Sergeant is overreacting to innocent actions due to his own homophobia.
3. The Sergeant may be homosexual (or act effeminately or be thought of as gay for whatever reason) and the DI is bullying him based on this (I have seen such things all too often in places that I have worked.)
4. The Sergeant and the DI may both actually be gay but the Sergeant is not receptive to the DI's insistent advances.
5. The whole story is a fabrication based on the Sergeant's dislike of the DI, for whatever reason - possibly linked to 2.

The "facts" represented in the article fit all of these scenarios just as well as the version presented, as I am sure, do many others or a combination of several.

Investigations into workplace bullying have to tread a fine line between genuine grievances, malicious reports, paranoia and overreaction, and need to be handled confidentially and with sensitivity towards both parties. Sensationalist reporting of such accusations does not help that.

[maiforpeace]

A sexual harrassment suit is pretty serious business and you would have to have a pretty big ax to grind with your boss to sue him for sexual harrassment.

I concede the boss may be innocent, but I also think charges like that are no laughing matter whether the person being harrassed is male or female, straight or gay...harrassment is harrassment.

[Coito ergo sum]

A sexual harrassment suit is pretty serious business and you would have to have a pretty big ax to grind with your boss to sue him for sexual harrassment.

I concede the boss may be innocent, but I also think charges like that are no laughing matter whether the person being harrassed is male or female, straight or gay...harrassment is harrassment.

There are degrees of harassment, of course. And, some harassment is far worse than other harassment. To that extent, harassment is not harassment.

As far as them being laughing matters, lots of serious things can be fodder for jokes. Bill Clinton was sued for sexual harassment, and that was considered quite the laughing matter by many people, as was perjury and obstruction of justice.

[Xamonas Chegwé]

Being sued for sexual harassment is not necessarily the same as committing sexual harassment. Reading that article implies otherwise.