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  • >> Peggy: THE DEPARTMENT OF FARE EMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING DEFINE

  • SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF A SPECIFIC LIST OF OFFENSES.

  • INCLUDING CREATING A INTIMIDATING AND HOSTILE WORK

  • ENVIRONMENT AND A THREAT FROM THE HARASSER.

  • HERE FOR MORE IS PATTI PEREZ WITH MORE.

  • PATTI, WELCOME. >> THANK YOU.

  • >> Peggy: TELL US ABOUT THE SPECIFIC FORMS OF HARASSMENT

  • DEFIND BY THE FEHA. >> THE FEHA IS THE CALIFORNIA

  • LAW THAT GOVERNS SEXUAL HARASSMENT.

  • THERE ARE TWO FORMS IF WE GO ON A DATE AND IF THERE A SEXUAL

  • FAVOR SOMETHING GOOD WILL HAPPEN.

  • IF YOU DON'T SOMETHING BAD WILL HAPPEN.

  • IT'S LESS COMMON BUT IT MAYBE GOING ON IN THE CURRENT STORY.

  • THE SECOND HARASSMENT IS HOSTILE WORK ENVIRONMENT.

  • IT HAS SPECIFIC LEGAL ELEMENTS THAT YOU ARE SUBJECTED TO

  • UNWELCOMED BEHAVIOR THAT IS SEVERE OR PREVASIVE AND

  • INTERFERES WITH YOUR ABILITY TO DO YOUR JOB.

  • >> Peggy: IN THE PRESS CONFERENCE THIS MORNING THERE

  • WERE ALLEGATIONS FROM THREE WOMEN.

  • ONE HAPPENED ON CITY PROPERTY ALLEGEDLY.

  • THE OTHER TWO OFF PROPERTY AT A BREAKFAST MEETING, IN A CAR.

  • SO, MY QUESTION IS, IF IT DIDN'T LAP AT WORK DOES IT STILL

  • QUALIFY AS SEXUAL HARASSMENT? >> IT MIGHT.

  • THERE ARE TWO ELEMENTS HERE. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE THREE

  • VICTIMS COMING FORWARD THROUGH THEIR ATTORNEYS AND

  • REPRESENTATIVES ONE IS A ACTUAL EMPLOYER.

  • OTHER TWO ARE CONSTITUENTS. THE CONSTITUENTS WHO MAY BRING A

  • LAW UNDER ANOTHER LAW WOULDN'T BRING IT UNDER THE FARE

  • EMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING ACT PROTECTING EMPLOYEES.

  • THE SECOND ELEMENT IS THIS RELATED DIRECTLY ENOUGH TO WORK

  • TO FALL INTO WRONGFUL BEHAVIOR UNDER THE HOUSING AND EMPLOYMENT

  • ACT. ACE GOOD LAWYER I WILL TELL YOU

  • THE ANSWER DEPENDS. IT DEPENDS HOW CLOSELY CONNECTED

  • IT WAS. IF IT OCCURRED OFF CITY PROPERTY

  • BUT DURING A CITY MEETING OR FUNCTION THAT SOUNDS LIKE

  • OFFICIAL WORK. MORE THAN LIKELY IT WOULD BE

  • CONSIDERED SOMETHING THAT FALLS UNDER THE MAYOR'S WORK AS MAYOR.

  • >> Peggy: WHAT IS INVOLVED IN MAKING A CLAIM.

  • MAKING A SEXUAL HARASSMENT CLAIM?

  • >> THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT WAYS OR TWO DIFFERENT LEVELS THAT

  • REALLY ARE AT WORK HERE. ONE IS YOU MIGHT BRING A CLAIM

  • INTERNALLY. THAT MAY SUBJECT THE ENTITY TO A

  • INTERNAL INVESTIGATION. >> Peggy: WHEN IT COMES TO THESE

  • CLAIMS. MAR CO GONE SELLS SAID CLAIMS

  • WILL BE FILED ON BE LOVE OF HIS CLIENTS.

  • THAT'S NOT THE SAME AS A LAWSUIT?

  • >> IT MIGHT BE. CLAIMS COULD BE BROUGHT

  • INTERNALLY PLAN DATING THE CITY TO PERFORM A INTERNAL

  • INVESTIGATION AND COME TO A CONCLUSION OF WRONGFUL BEHAVIOR.

  • IF IT'S A ATTORNEY THEY'RE LIKELY TALKING ABOUT A LEGAL

  • CLAIM. GOING THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF

  • FARE EMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING, THE ENTITY THAT ENFORCES THE FEHA.

  • IF IT PRO FEEDS FURTHER IT GOES TO COURT.

  • >> Peggy: WHAT GOES INTO THE INTERNAL INVESTIGATION.

  • >> THE GATHERING OF EVIDENCE. CLOSE TO WHAT OCCURS IN A

  • LAWSUIT. INTERVIEW WITNESSES, THE PERSON

  • WITH THE ALLEGATIONS AND AGAINST THEM AND SOMETIMES WITNESSES,

  • DIRECT AND INDIRECT THAT MAY KNOW ABOUT THE CLAIMS.

  • >> Peggy: DONNA FRYE WAS FIERCELY DEFENSIVE PROTECTING

  • THESE WOMENS NAMES. WHAT EFFECT DOES A SEXUAL

  • HARASSMENT CLAIM OR SEXUAL HARASSMENT HAVE ON A VICTIM?

  • >> IT DEPENDS ON THE LEVEL AND THE VICTIM HERSELF.

  • IN MY EXPERIENCE WHEN THERE ARE ALLEGATIONS BROUGHT OF THIS

  • TYPE, IT TENDS TO HAVE A VERY SERIOUS IMPACT ON THAT PERSON'S,

  • USUALLY WOMAN'S PERCEPTION OF THEMSELF AT WORK.

  • IT MAY MANIFEST ITSELF INTO DEPRESSION, NOT ABLE TO GET THE

  • JOB DONE IN THE SAME WAY THEY'RE USE TO OR ANXIOUS BEHAVIOR AS A

  • RESULT OF BEING EXPOSED TO THIS BEHAVIOR.

  • >> Peggy: WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE WHO BLAME THE VICTIMS.

  • WE HEARD HE SAID SHE SAID. NAMES, GIVE US NAMES.

  • IT SOUNDED LIKE A WITCH HUNT. BLAMING THE VICTIM, IS THAT

  • TYPICAL? >> IT IS.

  • ONE OF THE THINGS THAT COMES INTO PLAY, PARTICULARLY WITH A

  • LAWSUIT, IT HAS TO DO WITH THE ALLEGED WRONG DOER SAYING THAT'S

  • NOT WHAT I INTENDED. I WAS BEING PLAYFUL OR FUNNY.

  • IT SHIFTED INTO MAYBE THIS PERSON WAS OVERLY SENSITIVE AND

  • TOOK IT THE WRONG WAY. IT'S COMMON FOR THAT TO HAPPEN.

  • >> Peggy: OKAY. PATTERY PEREZ, THANK YOU SO

  • MUCH. THIS IS MORE TO THIS ON OUR

  • WEBSITE KPBS.ORG. THANK YOU.

  • >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

>> Peggy: THE DEPARTMENT OF FARE EMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING DEFINE

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