City to Pay Out $75K to Mitch Englander Aide who Says She Was Sexually Harassed

The city of Los Angeles agreed to pay $75,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a council aide who alleged she was sexually harassed by the chief of staff for Councilman Mitch Englander, officials said today.

The amount was approved Monday by the city Claims Board, which has authority over settlement amounts under $100,000.

Melody Jaramillo alleged Englander Chief of Staff John Lee subjected her to repeated “inappropriate and offensive jokes and comments of a sexual nature,” and also claimed that she was denied a chance to apply for a job as a public safety deputy because she was not a white male.

She named the city and Lee, who was dismissed from the case on Aug. 4, according to Englander.

The councilman called Jaramillo’s allegations “patently false” and said the claims board “clearly made a judgment call to pay out this settlement for what is essentially costs already incurred rather than fighting these frivolous allegations in court.”

“Simply litigating the case, even in the event of defeating it, would likely cost more out of pocket,” he said.

Jaramillo was hired as a secretary in February 2012 and was later promoted to a field deputy post, according to her attorney. She maintains she was forced to quit her job in April 2013 because of Lee’s alleged misconduct.

--City News Service

PHOTO Mitch Englander.