Public Employee Press

City settles sexual harrassment suit for $395,000

A female supervisor who victimized three women became known as the “Lipstick Bandit.”

Sexual harassment has been big news lately. The public got a tutorial in October when Anucha Browne Saunders won her suit against management of the New York Knicks basketball team for allowing sexual harassment against her to proceed and — despite notification — doing nothing to stop it.

Three DC 37 members — Constance Trotman, Clara Luz Badia and Anitra Kincy — recently won another case of blatant sexual harassment. In an interesting twist, attorney Ivan Smith was involved in both cases. He took the deposition from Knicks coach Isaiah Thomas. Then he handled Local 1549’s federal court suit against the Human Resources Administration over the outrageous conduct of Bronx supervisor Serena Reaves-Cain, which earned her the nickname “Lipstick Bandit.”

“No case is typical,” said Smith. “This was a female supervisor harassing female workers. All three were harassed in some fashion. Sexual harassment is always about power. It’s not about sex,” he explained. “It took on a life of its own,” said Assistant Clerical Division Director Eddie Gates. “She threatened people and tried to intimidate them.”

Before the lawsuit, Local 1549 Food Stamps-11 Shop Steward Shirley Crippen helped put together a hearing at a labor-management meeting, where the members testified about the harassment, said Gates.

Management’s response was no better than the Knicks. They merely transferred the supervisor and let her continue her bad behavior. When the three women stood up and testified against her, the city settled the case in mid-September in favor of the employees for $395,000.

Retired Grievance Rep Alpine James and Local 1549 President Eddie Rodriguez “stepped up to the plate and did the right thing,” said Smith. “It took a lawsuit to bring this woman into check.”

“Our members went through a lot,” said President Rodriguez. “We all worked together as a team to protect them. They’re the heroes in this case.”