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Brazoria County Employees Allege Sexual Harassment

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Three juvenile probation employees of Brazoria County claim that they were sexually harassed on the job by former county court at law judge James Blackstock. The Facts reports that former employee Mikki Kalina and current county employees Estella Strawn and Rebecca Sirmans filed a lawsuit last week against the county's juvenile probation board and the former county court at law judge.

The lawsuit alleges that Judge Blackstock had sexually harassed the employees by making inappropriate sexual comments, sharing sexually explicit e-mail, and grabbing the women in inappropriate places. Judge Blackstock resigned from his position in 2008, after he entered a no contest plea to multiple counts of unrelated criminal charges that included counts of assault by offensive and provocative physical contact.

Martin Shellist, the Texas employment lawyer representing the employees, also stated that the juvenile probation board and county officials knew about the harassment but failed to do anything about it. The Texas employment lawyer said that he included the juvenile probation board in the suit because the board members are supposed to oversee the juvenile probation department, and are considered somewhat independent of the county.

The Facts reports that several other juvenile probation department employees have filed claims against Judge Blackstock, but their cases have settled out of court. Mr. Shellist's clients are seeking compensation for damages including lost wages and benefits, emotional pain and suffering, attorney fees and court court costs. In addition, the employees would like to see an injunction that orders the county to prevent sexual harassment and retaliation against them. All employees should know that sexual harassment in the workplace violates the Civil Rights Act. Victims can sue for thousands or sometimes even millions of dollars. To learn more about filing a claim for sexual harassment, contact a Texas employment lawyer.

Related Resources:

  • Sexual Harassment in the Workplace? Employee Rights FAQs (FindLaw Knowledgebase)
  • Sexual Harassment: Actions You Can Take (FindLaw)
  • Contact a Texas Employment Lawyer (FindLaw)

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