FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Nearly a million dollars in Fulton County tax money will go toward paying off a sexual harassment judgment against a commissioner.
Commissioner Natalie Hall’s former chief of staff, Calvin Brock says she fired him for refusing to have an exclusive, romantic relationship with her.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Hall smacked Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Sophia Choi’s hand as she tried to ask questions about the settlement on Wednesday.
“If you would have that reaction with a person, a well-known person in the media here...what would you do with John Q Public?” asked Fulton Commissioner Khadijah Abdur-Rahman.
The judge found “Fulton County liable for sex discrimination, but not retaliation” and ordered the county to pay Brock backpay with interest, front pay, compensatory damages and attorneys fees.
Commissioners voted Wednesday not to appeal the judge’s order.
“We could lose, first of all, and it could really escalate the settlement,” Commission Chairman Robb Pitts told Choi.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Ga. 3-year-old dies after being found with mom, 7-year-old in freezing cold; mom charged with murder
- Kindergarten student brings knife to Cobb elementary school, district says
- MARTA officer shoots man who stabbed 2 people at Five Points station, police say
The 67-page order stems from an August hearing Channel 2 Action News attended in which Brock testified Hall stalked him and even put trackers on his cars.
“Central to this case is Brock’s contention that Hall planted covert surveillance devices in his personal vehicles to listen to his conversations with other women and track his location,” the judge noted.
Brock sued the county, not Hall personally.
“So in the final analysis, it’s the taxpayer who got screwed,” said Chairman Pitts.
The judge’s order says Fulton County must pay up within 30 days.
Commissioners censured Hall in September, even before the judge’s ruling, but they cannot fire her because Hall is an elected official.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Commissioners say it’s up to voters to do that when Hall comes up for re-election in November.
“It’s going to be up to the tax-paying citizens to show how they feel about the fact that almost a million dollars will be used for judgment,” said Abdul-Rahman.
Choi spoke to the victim, who says he feels vindicated.
“A lot of people wouldn’t believe that a man would be going through something like this,” Brock said.
He says he is proof that it does happen.
IN OTHER NEWS:
This browser does not support the video element.