Jeb Bush's appointee to Dept of Elder Affairs settles sexual harassment suit

[seafan]

Ol' Jeb really knows how to pick his political appointees.

And Jeb has only 35 more days to work at his big hairy audacious goals (BHAGS) and other assorted devious plans.


Department of Elder Affairs settles harassment lawsuit

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
October 27, 2006

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The Department of Elder Affairs and its former secretary have settled a sexual harassment lawsuit for $100,000.

The lawsuit was filed after Terry White was fired from his position in January 2005 following complaints from other employees. The woman filing the lawsuit, Kimberly Johnson, was not among the women who filed the original complaints, said Rob Larkin, a lawyer representing the department.

snip

The case was settled Thursday to save the cost of litigating it, prevent current and former employees from being disrupted and to protect the identities of women who were part of the original complaints, Larkin said.

snip

Johnson's lawsuit claimed that White, among other things, touched her breasts and buttocks while she worked as an administrative assistant. She was fired after filing the lawsuit, Oyewale said.

The backstory is here:

From South Florida Business Journal - January 5, 2005

Gov't fires Elder Affairs leader

Under the direction of the governor, the state has terminated its secretary of the Department of Elder Affairs for alleged sexual harassment.

snip

Before his termination, White had worked in elder affairs for a quarter century. Before Bush asked him to head the Department of Elder Affairs three years ago, he had been a recreation leader at a senior center and executive director of Senior Solutions of Southwest Florida, one of Florida's 11 Area Agencies on Aging.

White's official state biography described him as a team leader and consensus builder.

"Florida is fortunate to have Secretary White and his expertise leading the way for Florida's seniors, their caregivers and the aging network," the biography continues.