DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF News) – The attorney for the woman accusing former Dallas County Health Director Zach Thompson of sexual abuse and harassment said she endured his alleged unwanted advances for four years.
The woman, who remains unidentified, said the alleged abuse started in 2013 and she put up with it in fear of losing her job.
In a statement, she alleges Thompson made it clear on numerous occasions that her job was on the line, “You do like your job,right?” and “Where do you think you’ll go where you can make as much money as you make here?” and “I am your boss?”.
The woman also alleges that she told Thompson no several times and cried during some of the coerced sex acts.
She said she initially to file a grievance against Thompson on August 7, 2017 only to be told by Human Resources that it was too late and that she missed a 7-day response deadline.
She said she missed the deadline because she was out of state for a family funeral.
According to the statement, on December 5, 2017, she said she made the decision to file a grievance against Thompson and detailed the pattern of “sexual abuse, harassment, intimidation and retaliation he perpetrated against me over the past four years.”
The woman claims that after the County HR Department received her allegations, it “callously and ineptly mishandled my grievance against Mr. Thompson.”
The woman’s attorney, Jennifer Spencer, said her client made it clear to Thompson his alleged advances were unwanted.
“She did say no. She did say stop. He did not. She cried on more than a few occasions,” she said.
The woman said she will pursue a lawsuit against Dallas County if not given a reasonable settlement.
“We would rather negotiate a mutual acceptable agreement with the county but absent that she will pursue a lawsuit,” said Spencer.
Spencer said her law firm sent a letter to the county asking for a change in human resources police and said her client’s investigation was poorly handled by the interim director of HR.
“He asked if her grievance was in retaliation of Mr. Thomson’s write ups of her or is it just that you like men in power,” she said.
Thompson was fired earlier this month over the allegations. Spencer said her firm has proposed a reasonable monetary settlement to Dallas County.
The Dallas County Commissioners Court will meet about her client’s situation in executive session at next week’s meeting.
Copyright 2018. WBAP/KLIF News. All Rights Reserved.
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Copyright 2018. WBAP/KLIF News. All Rights Reserved.
