Atlanta-area taxpayers are on the hook for nearly $1 million to settle a civil sexual discrimination claim against Fulton County Commissioner Natalie Hall.
Judge Jason Patil awarded Hall’s former chief of staff, Calvin Brock, $902,487 following an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission discrimination suit Brock filed in February 2021, claiming he was fired in retaliation for breaking up with Hall following a year-long love affair.
The ruling stems from a hearing in August in which Hall and Brock gave testimony about the affair.
“Hall tried to force Brock to remain in an exclusive sexual relationship with her, stalked him for months, and ultimately fired him,” Patil said in the ruling, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Brock won on the claim of sexual discrimination, but the judge determined there was not enough evidence to support his allegation that Hall retaliated against him after he filed the legal complaint against her.
Because the violations occurred as part Hall’s official public duties, Fulton County is responsible for covering all the punitive damages in the case.
Hall will keep her seat on the commission until her term expires at the end of the year.
Under the decision, Brock is entitled to $460,000 plus interest in back pay, plus another $143,392 in pay for “the duration of Hall’s current term as commissioner.”
Brock sued for three years of future pay and an additional $300,000 in compensatory damages, but Patil cut off the award for these items at $65,000.
The judge tacked on another $184,000 to cover Brock’s attorney fees and court costs.
As part of the decision, Fulton County is mandated to provide Hall with training on supervisor responsibilities, and a public notice must be posted acknowledging that a commission employee faced sexual discrimination on the job.
On Wednesday, the commission voted 5-1 to accept the ruling and agreed not to challenge the decision, with…
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