Tue, Nov 24 2009
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LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST ASHTABULA TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT Male victim claims Bucci made advances — accuses Pete and McClure of covering up By SHELLEY TERRY - Staff Writer - sterry@starbeacon.comStar Beacon The lawsuit also states that, despite reports of harassment, none of the trustees, nor the former employee’s supervisors, did anything to stop it. According to the complaint, in failing to provide the victim with a work environment free of harassment, the township is liable.
Pete said the lawsuit’s allegations of nonfeasance or misfeasance are ridiculous. McClure agreed. “There are two sides to every story, but the idea of a cover-up is preposterous,” he said, adding that further questions can be directed to the township’s attorney, David Pontius of Ashtabula. Pontius said he is one of several attorneys on the case but he cannot comment now. The lawsuit states, in the fall of 2006, the victim began behaving abnormally, including expressing suicidal thoughts. In January 2007, the township terminated the victim, the lawsuit states. The alleged victim’s suicidal behavior recurred in 2007, and as a result, he was hospitalized and has experienced a significant amount of trauma, damages and injuries. The alleged victim continues to be under psychiatric care for severe mental, psychological and emotional injuries that occurred as a result of the defendants’ conduct, according to the complaint. All together, the lawsuit names 15 causes of action, including sexual harassment, disability discrimination, negligence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. In addition, the lawsuit names a further cause of action: “wrongful and fraudulent conveyance,” which arises from actions taken by Samuel and Louise Bucci: Prior to April 23, 2007, they held title to their property in joint survivorship. The complaint says on April 23, 2007, the couple filed a quitclaim and retitle the property to Louise Bucci, trustee of the Louise Bucci Trust. Samuel Bucci claims the retitling wasn’t to counter possible litigation or limit liability but rather because, earlier in 2007, he was very ill and was hospitalized. “We went ahead and made my funeral arrangements,” he said. “We put everything in my wife’s name.” In the lawsuit, the family is asking the township for compensatory damages, in excess of $25,000 for each of the 15 causes of action, and $25,000 in punitive damages for each of the 15 causes of action, plus it asks for attorney fees and court costs. Damages are requested from the three trustees as employers, from Louise Bucci and the Louise Bucci Trust, and from the trustees individually. Muller said the victim’s family stands by the allegations contained in the complaint. 
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