Seattle Public School District to Pay $500,000 to Settle Sexual Harassment Case Brought by the Blankenship Law Firm.
The District will pay a 15-year former employee who alleged harassment and retaliation.
SEATTLE, November 1, 2018 (Newswire.com) - Former Seattle Public Schools Program Liaison Ms. Krystyana Brame settled her lawsuit against the Seattle Public School District today. Ms. Brame’s lawsuit alleged a hostile work environment based on her gender and race.
After Ms. Brame filed a written complaint on Nov. 16, 2015, the District opened an investigation. Ms. Brame left behind a successful 15-year career at the Seattle Public School District.
According to her attorney, Scott Blankenship, “The District did not finalize its investigation until after she resigned. Ms. Brame wanted justice and change for herself and her coworkers.”
The District’s formal investigation concluded on June 20, 2016, more than two months after Ms. Brame’s resignation and eight months after her written complaint to HR. The District found no violation. Ms. Brame appealed the decision on June 29, 2016, to the Superintendent.
The District’s April 12, 2016 investigative report actually confirmed many of Ms. Brame’s allegations. In a letter written on July 28, 2016, by Deputy Superintendent Stephen J. Nielsen, the District reversed its own position.
Ms. Brame hopes that this settlement will have a wider impact on companies and public entities where sexual harassment and retaliation are still rampant: “My hope is that this settlement will force public schools to take notice of complaints like mine seriously and not let them go unheard.”
Scott Blankenship served as lead counsel for Mrs. Brame with associate attorney Rick Goldsworthy of The Blankenship Law Firm. The Blankenship Law Firm is an AV-rated law firm located in downtown Seattle with lawyers licensed in Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. The firm practices in state and federal courts, while practicing primarily employment law and related complex civil litigation in all phases of negotiation and litigation including appeals. Key documents are hyperlinked and embedded in this release. More information is available online at www.blankenshiplawfirm.com.
CONTACT: Scott C. G. Blankenship (206) 343-2700 (work)
[email protected] (206) 898-6033 (cell)
www.blankenshiplawfirm.com
Source: The Blankenship Law Firm
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Tags: complaint, discrimination, education, lawsuit, public school, retaliation, seattle, settlement, sexual harassment, washington, wrongful termination
