Maturo’s Sex Harass Case Starts Wednesday; Settlement Talks Fail

EAST HAVEN, CT - An attempt to come to a settlement to avoid a trial in a sex harassment against East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr. failed on Monday, meaning the case will now go to trial this Wednesday.

A three-year-old lawsuit that charges the mayor with sexually harassing a former East Haven town employee will go ahead.

With the trial of Francine Carbone vs. Joseph Maturo slated just days away the two parties held a pretrial settlement conference on Monday, Sept. 10th.

But according to Carbone’s attorney, Rachel Baird, no settlement was reached so the trial will start on Wednesday.

A settlement conference is a meeting between opposing sides of a lawsuit at which the parties attempt to reach a mutually agreeable resolution of their dispute without having to proceed to a trial.

In 2015, former Town Hall secretary Carbone filed a lawsuit, claiming she faced a continual pattern of harassment from Maturo, including inappropriate remarks and obscene gestures, since her employment began in January 1997. During one incident in 2013, Carbone claims Maturo exposed himself in her office.

From Jan. 25, 1997, to Oct. 17, 2014, Carbone was employed by the town. In October of 2014 she was fired.
According to the lawsuit, Maturo continually made comments regarding Carbone's body.

The complaint also alleges that Maturo grabbed his crotch in front of Carbone and in front of a town official.
The incident that Carbone first made involved Maturo allegedly exposing himself to her while she bent down to file documents in a cabinet. Carbone alleges that Maturo's behavior made her working conditions "intolerable," causing "severe emotional distress.

Carbone also filed a Family Medical Leave Act lawsuit, alleging the Maturo administration retaliated against her for taking medical leave.

She lost that case.

Maturo has repeatedly denied the allegations, calling the lawsuit frivilous and without merit, stating he is confident that he will be vindicated in court.

Asked on Monday if he anything more to say about the case, Maturo said: “No.”

Photo by Jack Kramer