$444,000 Jury Verdict for Sexually Harassed Firefighter

The Florida city of New Smyrna Beach must pay a former firefighter nearly half a million dollars after a six day sexual harassment trial and unanimous jury verdict.
After enduring years of sex-based workplace hostility—hostility which culminated in being fired from her job—Melissa Smith first filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. When the Commission, which must choose cases carefully due to limited funding, rejected the case, she initiated a civil suit against the city of New Smyrna Beach using a private attorney.
This week, jurors awarded her $200,000 for emotional distress and $244,000 as compensation for back wages that she would have earned on the job if she had not been fired. According to the terms of the verdict, Smith may also get her old job back or be awarded front pay by the judge.
According to Smith’s lawsuit, firefighters in New Smyrna Beach created a hostile work environment by subjecting her to repeated harassment and verbal abuse based on her sex. One supervisor even told Smith that he wanted her to “get pregnant so I could have you as my new secretary instead of having you fight fires.”
The lawsuit also says that even the Fire Chief, Michael Coats, was involved in establishing the hostile workplace environment. Smith says that she was told by the chief that women did not belong as firefighters, and that it would be up to her to prove otherwise. At a later date, he said women should be “in the kitchen” rather than working for the fire department.
Smith also says that harassment from other coworkers included being sent naked photographs of a firefighter who also tried to invite her to strip clubs and made lewd advances. Another lieutenant referred to working with two female personnel as “babysitting two girls.” She was also told that she could be suspended for bringing tampons to work.
After making several complaints about staff members of the New Smyrna Beach Fire Department, Smith says that the department and the city began to retaliate against her. She was denied training that male employees were given, and was suspended after using profanity—something she says that the rest of the department’s male employees did on a frequent basis.
The jury in Smith’s case ignored the city’s contention that Smith had been fired for other causes, choosing instead to believe Smith, who claimed the charges used to fire her had been trumped up as a result of her sexual harassment allegations.
Source: uscourts.gov
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A Look at the Duties of a Prison Guard
A correctional
office or prison guard is the person responsible for supervising correctional
facilities or prisons. Corrections officers must ensure that the environment is
suitable for human life, and safe for all prisoners within the correctional
center. A prison guard’s role is thus essential to the well being of our legal
system; without the enforcing abilities of corrections officers prisons would
run improperly and not aid in the rehabilitation of wrongdoers.
A correctional officer is responsible for the custody, care, and control
of individuals who are awaiting trial or have been arrested. In essence, anyone
who serves time in jail or is held in a cell will be supervised by a prison
guard or correctional officer. In addition, the team is also responsible for
the safety and the security of the facility–without a team of corrections
officers the prisoners would be under no control, and free to not only harm
each other, but vandalize the actual structure of the facility. Most
correctional officers are employed by the government of the country in which
they work, though a small percentage are also employed by private companies.
Although the
duties of a correctional officer can vary, the general role of the prison guard
includes the various actions:
·
A prison guard maintains
order and discipline within the correctional facility.
·
The prison guard enforces rules,
regulations, and applicable legislation to maintain a suitable environment.
·
A correctional officer conducts
routine searches of inmates to expel any contraband or weaponry that may be
present.
·
The prison guard is responsible
for transporting inmates to courts and other correctional facilities.
·
In response of an assault, a fire,
medical emergency, or a riot the prison guard is responsible for maintaining order and providing first response action.
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Mediator
What is a mediator?
A mediator is an individual, appointed by the parties to a legal conflict, whose sole job is to listen, evaluate and help those parties come to an amicable solution that will, hopefully, prevent litigation in a court of law. Mediators are often, but need not be members of the legal system. Some possess law degrees, and some are often former judges, where as others possess no more than a bachelor's degree and rely on their expertise in negotiation and problem solving to help parties on the verge of civil litigation to come to a compromise.
There are few state laws that require a specific license in order to be a mediator but it is often found that a mediator will possess some background in mediation skills, whether it be in undergraduate classes in negotiation and alternate dispute resolution or a certificate of training.
What are the advantages to having a mediator?
There are numerous advantages to having a mediator. First, and foremost, is the cost. Going to trial can be expensive. Court costs and attorney's fees can quickly accumulate. On the other hand, the process of mediation is comparably inexpensive and less time consuming. Depending on the legal matter involved mediators can be supplied by the community or even a court for free. In other matters mediators can charge between $1,000 or $2,000 per day for their services.
A second benefit to having a mediator is that a mediator's decision is not binding on any of the parties. The mediator's job is merely to evaluate the situation and help the parties come to a solution. The mediator's determination is often viewed as a way of foreshadowing what might happen if a matter goes into the litigation stages.
How do I choose a mediator?
A mediator is not court appointed, in fact a court of law has nothing to do with mediation. In many situations a mediator may be found through a roster maintained by the court. Mediators can also be located through the private sector and the wealth of mediators available should result in the retention of one that has specific expertise in the area that your conflict arises out of.
When searching for a mediator parties involved should keep certain things in mind. First and foremost a mediator who is knowledgeable in the field is highly important. It is pertinent that a mediator be found who can be neutral to the matter. For example, it would be problematic for you to choose a mediator that, upon subsequent research, is the brother-in-law of the other party to the matter.