In addition to Monday's filing of a lawsuit against Cumberland County by the Department of Justice over sexual harassment claims against former solid waste director Mike Harvel, the government also filed a Joint Notice of Anticipated Settlement.
This filing indicates that the government and the county have been in negotiations over the matter and according to the filing, the settlement will include “monetary and non-monetary relief as well as the Court's continued jurisdiction during the term of the consent decree.”
The claims involve actions by Harvel against at least 10 women who worked at the recycling center that Harvel oversaw and claims that he touched and propositioned them inappropriately for a period of time. In addition, the suit claims that Cumberland County had inadequate measures in place for harassment complaints to be made against employee supervisors for the actions alleged by the women who are part of the lawsuit.
Since the time of the incidents, the county has hired an HR manager and updated its harassment policies and procedures.
In addition to this civil lawsuit, Harvel still has criminal charges pending in state criminal court. The case has been delayed by the COVID pandemic but will eventually be heard in court. Those charges include 2 counts of sexual battery, I count of assault and one count of official misconduct.
A year after those indictments, Harvel was finally dismissed as a county employee by current Mayor Allen Foster in March 2019. Around the same time, the county commission authorized Foster to negotiate with the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission “concerning complaints of discrimination against the county.”
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