FEMA is responsible for helping Arizona residents obtain assistance after a natural disaster or other emergency. The man who ran the organization’s personnel department until June 2018 is facing allegations of sexual harassment and that he led a toxic culture. Among the allegations against him is that he hired friends from college and women who he met online for the purposes of having sex with his friends within the organization.
He is also alleged to have had sexual relations with two women who worked under him. These incidents took place in 2015 and then for a period of time from 2017 to 2018, and they both occurred during trips that neither woman had a reason to be on. Both say that they were treated differently after the encounters. The first woman said that she was denied a promotion and only retained her job by suggesting that she may be willing to have a relationship with him in the future.
The second woman wanted to leave but was given a position created for her. She acknowledged that she wasn’t qualified to do that job. According to the former FEMA administrator, there were no complaints made about the man during his tenure. There were also no complaints made during his two years in the Secret Service prior to taking his position in the FEMA personnel office.
Sexual harassment can create a hostile working environment. A person may be subject to inappropriate attention by being asked out on a date or hearing comments about his or her body. Individuals who are demoted or terminated because of a refusal to consent to such conduct may want to meet with an attorney to see what remedies might be available.