A New Castle County (NCC) employee files a lawsuit against county officials, including Human Resources Officer Jacqueline Jenkins, Chief Financial Officer Michael Smith and County Executive Matt Meyer, for allegedly failing to effectively address workplace sexual harassment.
County Assessor Susan Oberlander filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Delaware earlier this month, arguing NCC “continues to remain a safe harbor for dominant male employees in positions of power and authority to sexually harass female employees."
Oberlander alleges under the leadership of Meyer, complaints of sexual harassment are often suppressed and discouraged from being filed, and she is now seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
The lawsuit details in November 2022, Oberlander reported her supervisor, John Farnan, for sexual harassment after sending her sexually explicit and inappropriate text messages.
Oberlander says it took filling out the same form twice and over four months for human resources to investigate and substantiate the harassment, saying she was still contacted by Farnan a week after she filed the complaint.
Human resources did determine Farnan's behavior was "unwelcomed, unprofessional, inappropriate, and interfered with [Oberlander's] work performance."
She argues appropriate action was not taken after the assault claims were substantiated, noting Farnan was demoted to an equal position as herself and the two remained in close working proximity.
She also notes Farnan was allowed to attend an overnight work conference in Ocean City, Maryland with other female employees following the harassment report being substantiated.
Following the conclusion of the investigation, Oberlander says she was passed on for several promotions that she was qualified for and other positions she applied for were granted to employees who had not engaged in protected activity.
On November 20, 2023, Oberlander filed a Charge of Discrimination with the Delaware Department of Labor (DOL) Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
DOL's investigation "found that there is reasonable cause to believe that an unlawful employment practice has occurred" and Oberlander received a Right to Sue letter.
Oberlander says due to the continued discrimination, she "has experienced and suffered from low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence, humiliation, feelings of betrayal, powerlessness and mistrust."
According to a statement from NCC Chief Administrative Officer Vanessa Phillips, county officials believe Meyer and Smith were added to the suit “without merit,” and they plan on making a motion to remove them.
"Inappropriate behavior like this is not tolerated in our workplace and the Meyer Administration has had systems in place for years to protect our employees,” the statement says.
“More than two years ago, when Ms. Oberlander reported these concerns, an investigation was conducted and severe disciplinary action was issued by the Office of Human Resources. In fact, an outside monitor working with the County and the Delaware Department of Justice concluded that the County took appropriate action to protect the complainant from further issues with the sanctioned employee.”
Meyer is a 2024 gubernatorial candidate and one of his opponents, current Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long, released a statement calling Meyer’s actions “a gross dereliction of duty and an outright lack of leadership.”
“Under Matt Meyer’s administration, year after year, too many women have suffered in silence, their voices unheard, and their careers derailed by a toxic culture that he has failed to address. This most recent lawsuit further shows that this cycle of sexual harassment under Meyer’s leadership has never been addressed. Instead of fostering a safe workplace for women, Matt Meyer has allowed a sanctuary for sexual harassment to flourish, enabling male perpetrators to act with impunity," she said
Hall-Long is referring to a lawsuit filed in 2020 by six NCC female police officers who accused former Lt. Col. Quinton Watson of years of harassment and abuse — and county officials of covering it up.
The lawsuit called New Castle County government a “sanctuary” for sexual harassers. Plaintiffs in that case ended up settling for around $1.7 million.
Meyer and Hall-Long face off in the Democratic Primary alongside former state environmental secretary Collin O’Mara on Sept. 10.
