Fired Human Resources Director Settles Case

Angela Payne was the human resources director for the City of Sheboygan. She contended that she was fired for rejecting the mayor’s drunken sexual advances. Payne alleged that the mayor tried to kiss her, looked her body up and down and implied he wanted a sexual relationship. Following this, Payne noticed that the mayor became distant, refused to call her by name, refused to speak to her directly and rolled his eyes when Payne spoke. To read more about this case click here.

Payne settles this case for $310,000. The city got lucky on this one. They could have been hit for a lot more in front of a jury. Many people think that, by virtue of being in human resources, individuals do not suffer harassment, discrimination or retaliation. Having represented a number of individuals who worked in human resources I can tell you they are just as vulnerable as the rest of the workforce. Sheboygan is not alone when it comes to these problems