DOJ Sues Houston Fire Department For Sexual Harassment

HOUSTON, TX — The City of Houston and the Houston Prefessional Fire Fighters Association are responding to a Department of Justice lawsuit that alleges the Houston Fire Department discriminated against two female Houston firefighters.

Jane Draycott and Paula Keye, who were both Houston firefighters, alleged they were subjected to a hostile work environment while they were employed as firefighters at HFD’s Station 54.

The two women claimed there were instances of male firefighters urinating on the walls, floors and sinks of the women’s bathroom and dormitory, disconnecting the cold water to scald the women while they were showering and deactivating the female dormitory’s announcement speakers so the women could not respond to emergency calls.

The complaint also alleges the conduct culminated in death threats and vulgar slurs written on the walls of their work and living spaces at Station 54 and on their personal possessions.

This conduct continued despite at least nine complaints made to management, according to the allegations.

The allegations initially came to light in 2009, and were investigated by the City, but officials said then that there was no evidence to substantiate the claims made by Keye and Draycott.

Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association President Marty Lancton treleased a statement on Wednesday urging the city to release the findings of investigations of the 2009 allegations related to Station 54.

"Today’s federal lawsuit provides another opportunity to publicly exonerate the more than 40 firefighters that were polygraphed, gave sworn statements or handwriting samples in, or cooperated with investigations of HFD. We continue to believe the evidence – all of it – should be released immediately," Lancton said in a written statement. "Anything short of public acknowledgement of the exonerated firefighters will only foster public misunderstandingof Houston firefighters. Houston firefighters deserve due process and a fair hearing of thefacts. We hope this federal case finally sets the record straight on what actually happened at Station 54."

The lawsuit, however, doesn't just involve Draycott and Keye, but other female firefighters who'd previously worked at Station 54 and allegedly made similar complaints to HFD about sex-based discrimination prior to Draycott and Keyes working there.

U.S. Attorney Ryan Patrick said the HFD failed to take meaningful steps to stop the discrimination.

“No employee should be subjected to a hostile work environment based on their sex,” said Patrick. “We will aggressively protect employees who are victims of sex discrimination and retaliation and pursue employers who violate the law.”

This lawsuit is the first of a new initiative that the Department of Justice announced today - the Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Initiative - which is aimed at combatting sexual harassment and sex-based harassment in the public sector workplace.

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