Fulton County taxpayers will pay nearly $1 million to settle a civil s*xual discrimination claim, according to Fox 5 News.
Calvin Brock filed a complaint against Fulton County (GA) Commissioner Natalie Hall for wrongful termination in February 2021.
Brock claimed Hall s*xually harassed him during his employment as her chief of staff in Fulton County.
Workplace romance
Brock said he started working for Hall in May 2018 after they met at a Sandy Springs, Ga. furniture shop.
Hall eventually raised Brock’s salary from $60,000 as her community outreach manager to $125,000 as her chief of staff.
He said they were intimate on the couch in Hall’s Fulton County Commission office. “She straddled me and got on top of me,” said Brock.
Brock said their relationship continued while they worked from their homes during the pandemic in 2020.
Reverse gender discrimination
He claims the gender roles were reversed and he was forced to submit to Hall’s urges. He said he feared losing his job.
Brock claimed he was fired in September 2020 in retaliation for breaking up with Hall following their year-long love affair.
A federal judge agreed.
Judge Jason Patil awarded Brock, $902,487 to settle his Equal Employment Opportunity Commission discrimination lawsuit.
“Hall tried to force Brock to remain in an exclusive s*xual relationship with her, stalked him for months, and ultimately fired him,” Judge Patil said in the ruling, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
However, the judge determined there was not enough evidence to support his allegation that Hall retaliated against him.
Brock had asked for back pay, damages for emotional distress, and attorneys fees.
Hefty settlement
The judge determined Brock is entitled to $460,000 plus interest in back pay. He gets another $143,392 in pay for “the duration of Hall’s current term as commissioner.”
In an interview with Fox 5 News, Brock said he agreed to a relationship with Hall that he knew was wrong because he wanted to keep his six-figure salary.
Fulton County taxpayers are responsible for paying the punitive damages since Brock was a former county employee.
Hall will keep her job
As part of the settlement, Hall is mandated to receive training on supervisor responsibilities.
Additionally, a public notice must be posted acknowledging that an employee faced s*xual discrimination on the job.
Brock said he finally feels whole.
Fulton County commissioners tightened the 2024 county budget during a vote on January 24.
The new budget doesn’t leave room to pay for s*xual shenanigans.
“To have a sexual relationship with a subordinate is a lapse in judgment because now you have put the body and the taxpayers at risk,” District 6 Commissioner Khadijah Abdur-Rahman said.
