Oscar Hentschel Executive Director at Homestead Housing Authority
By Christina Veiga
cveiga@MiamiHerald.com
The former deputy director of the Homestead Housing Authority has sued the agency for sexual harassment, retaliation and negligence.
The suit, filed in federal court Oct. 26, claims that Executive Director Oscar Hentschel sexually harassed former employee Monica Rusconi, that she was fired because she filed a complaint about the harassment and that the housing authority board was negligent for not removing Hentschel after the complaint was filed.
According to the complaint, Hentschel “routinely” called women a derogatory word that also means a female dog, and that he made comments about “female bodies and sexual activity.”
Rusconi and her attorney, Jeffrey Goodz, declined to comment. So did Hentschel and board attorney Gilberto Pastoriza.
Rusconi had worked as the second-in-command at the housing authority for 11 years before Hentschel was hired to lead the agency in March 2011.
Months after his arrival, two women filed sexual harassment complaints against Hentschel.
Despite calls from Mayor Steve Bateman to temporarily remove the director while the complaints could be investigated, board members kept Hentschel in his position.
http://homesteadishome.blogspot.com/2011/11/bateman-pens-his-dear-oscar-letter.html
They hired an independent investigator to look into the claims and considered moving Rusconi’s office away from Hentschel.
Rusconi “was advised to just stay in her office to avoid Hentschel,” the lawsuit states.
One woman later dropped her complaint against Hentschel and told the human resources investigator she had been forced to file it by Rusconi because Rusconi did not get along with the executive director.
Rusconi herself filed two complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission. The commission, according to the lawsuit, did nothing. Two months after Rusconi made the formal accusations — which she told board members of in an email — Rusconi was fired.
Her lawsuit claims that Hentschel and the housing authority the federal and state civil rights acts and state employment laws.
Follow @Cveiga on Twitter.
The suit, filed in federal court Oct. 26, claims that Executive Director Oscar Hentschel sexually harassed former employee Monica Rusconi, that she was fired because she filed a complaint about the harassment and that the housing authority board was negligent for not removing Hentschel after the complaint was filed.
According to the complaint, Hentschel “routinely” called women a derogatory word that also means a female dog, and that he made comments about “female bodies and sexual activity.”
Rusconi and her attorney, Jeffrey Goodz, declined to comment. So did Hentschel and board attorney Gilberto Pastoriza.
Rusconi had worked as the second-in-command at the housing authority for 11 years before Hentschel was hired to lead the agency in March 2011.
Months after his arrival, two women filed sexual harassment complaints against Hentschel.
Despite calls from Mayor Steve Bateman to temporarily remove the director while the complaints could be investigated, board members kept Hentschel in his position.
http://homesteadishome.blogspot.com/2011/11/bateman-pens-his-dear-oscar-letter.html
They hired an independent investigator to look into the claims and considered moving Rusconi’s office away from Hentschel.
Rusconi “was advised to just stay in her office to avoid Hentschel,” the lawsuit states.
One woman later dropped her complaint against Hentschel and told the human resources investigator she had been forced to file it by Rusconi because Rusconi did not get along with the executive director.
Rusconi herself filed two complaint to the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission. The commission, according to the lawsuit, did nothing. Two months after Rusconi made the formal accusations — which she told board members of in an email — Rusconi was fired.
Her lawsuit claims that Hentschel and the housing authority the federal and state civil rights acts and state employment laws.
Follow @Cveiga on Twitter.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/11/01/3078121/homestead-housing-authority-hit.html#storylink=cpy
http://homesteadishome.blogspot.com/2011/11/twenty-four-hours-was-all-it-took-for.html
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