Скачать или смотреть USA: WHITE HOUSE PASTRY CHEF SEXUAL HARASSMENT CASE (2)

(13 Sep 2000) English/Nat
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U-S President Bill Clinton is being sued for creating an atmosphere at the White House, where sexual harassment could take place.

A female junior pastry chef is taking her boss to court, alleging that he repeatedly made unwanted advances towards her.

And she is suing President Clinton, because she alleges he's ultimately responsible for staff matters in the White House.

In a lawsuit filed on Wednesday, assistant pastry chef Franette McCulloch charged that her boss, Roland Mesnier, repeatedly made unwanted advances to her.

And she says she was misled by her superiors into believing there was no way for her to seek legal recourse.

In a press conference McCulloch's lawyers said President Clinton was also named in the suit because he is ultimately responsible for making sure there is an avenue for reporting such allegations in the White House.

Franette McCulloch asserts that Roland Mesnier subjected her to "severe sexual harassment" since 1991, which gave her a stress-related medical condition.

She also claimed she was subjected to retaliation for reporting the alleged harassment.

McCulloch is asking for a total of two (m) million dollars - one (m) million from Clinton and one (m) million from Mesnier.

The White House says it hasn't yet seen the complaint.

McCulloch, who has worked at the White House since 1983, says in the complaint that Mesnier repeatedly demanded to know why she would not have a sexual relationship with him.

In retaliation for refusing him, the complaint alleges that Mesnier was "hostile and rude" to her at work, left dozens of messages on her answering machine and took duties away from her.

The complaint alleges that McCulloch brought her complaints to several of her superiors.

She says that she was "deliberately misled" into believing that she had no way to pursue her allegations and no legal recourse.

She says she was told that she either had to remain in her position, with Mesnier as her supervisor, or quit her job.

The White House has responded by saying that there are procedures for filing harassment claims if its employees want to.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"He demanded that I have a sexual relationship with him and constantly insisted on telling me about his desire to have a sexual relationship with me. I rejected all of his advances and tried to ignore him in the hope that the harassment would cease and he would simply let me do my job."
SUPER CAPTION: Franette McCulloch, White House Pastry Chef

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I am taking the action of filing suit against the president and Mr Mesnier today because I have no other option. My savings have been depleted and I have been forced from my job, a job that I loved and devoted myself to. My only goal was to be permitted to do my job as a pastry chef in a safe and discrimination free environment."
SUPER CAPTION: Franette McCulloch, White House Pastry Chef

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"If the employees at the White House were in private industry they would be subject to severe censure if not discharge for failure for three years to do anything. And there was an express statute by Congress that said they were required to enact these regulations by October 1 of 1997. So, surprised? yes - worse, shocked."
Joseph Yablonski, McCulloch's Attorney
SUPER CAPTION: Joseph Yablonski, McCulloch's Attorney

SOUNDBITE: (English)
SUPER CAPTION: White House Spokesman Joe Lockhart

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