Tag Archives: sexual harassment

House firms up harassment rules

Posted on January 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Amid continued scrutiny over how lawmakers handle reports of sexual misconduct by their colleagues, members of the House on Wednesday approved a measure that will strengthen the way the chamber addresses complaints of sexual harassment. As part of a … Continue reading →

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Schwertner gives up committee chair

Posted on January 7, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Another unusual development in a continuing odd story. After facing an allegation of sexual harassment, state Sen. Charles Schwertner has told the Senate’s leader he no longer wants his post as chair of the powerful health and human services committee. … Continue reading →

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Asking the unanswered questions

Posted on December 22, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Ross Ramsey goes there on Sen. Charles Schwertner. The problem is that the investigation at UT didn’t reach any final conclusions. The investigator couldn’t prove Schwertner was at fault, but also couldn’t prove he was not. There is no evidence … Continue reading →

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The Blake Farenthold Memorial Sexual Harassment Bill

Posted on December 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

That’s what this should be called. Less than a year after Corpus Christi Republican Blake Farenthold left Congress behind with an $84,000 settlement for sexual harassment, the House and Senate have agreed to make lawmakers pay their own misconduct judgments. … Continue reading →

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USOC moves to decertify USA Gymnastics

Posted on November 11, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

About time. On Monday night, the U.S. Olympic Committee made a long-overdue announcement: It is taking steps towards decertifying USA Gymnastics by revoking its recognition as one of the USOC’s National Governing Bodies (NGBs). Now, what’s to come is not … Continue reading →

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Schwertner claims sexually suggestive text did not come from his phone

Posted on October 30, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

His lawyers say that, anyway. Lawyers for state Sen. Charles Schwertner said Monday that the Georgetown Republican, under fire for allegedly sending lewd messages to a University of Texas at Austin student, submitted his phone to a forensic examiner who … Continue reading →

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Another Schwertner update

Posted on October 10, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

The investigation is happening. The University of Texas on Monday acknowledged it has received a complaint about state Sen. Charles Schwertner from a student, and that it has collected evidence as part of an investigation into him, marking the first … Continue reading →

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Investigating Schwertner

Posted on October 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Another update. Lawyers for state Sen. Charles Schwertner, a Georgetown Republican alleged to have sent lewd messages to a graduate student, said Wednesday that the University of Texas at Austin has hired former federal prosecutor Johnny Sutton to help investigate … Continue reading →

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What should the Senate do about Schwertner?

Posted on October 4, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

There are two basic choices. The circumstances surrounding the latest allegation are thorny: They involve a Republican state senator, Charles Schwertner, who is accused of texting a sexually explicit image and message to a graduate student. Reportedly, Schwertner and the … Continue reading →

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Schwertner update

Posted on September 27, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

He has amended his statement. In the face of a sexual harassment allegation, state Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, has hired two Austin attorneys and denied sending “any inappropriate texts as alleged” — “Period.” — in a new statement Wednesday from … Continue reading →

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UT investigating sexual misconduct case against State Sen. Schwertner

Posted on September 26, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Noted for the record. The University of Texas is investigating an allegation that state Sen. Charles Schwertner sent a sexually explicit image and text message to a graduate student he met at an on-campus event this summer, three senior UT … Continue reading →

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Another Lopez brother gets banned from taekwondo

Posted on September 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Steven Lopez this time. Two-time Olympic taekwondo gold medalist Steven Lopez has been banned permanently from competition by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, based on the results of the agency’s investigation into Lopez’s sexual relationship with an underage female in … Continue reading →

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Texans’ cheer coach quits

Posted on August 24, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. Altovise Gary, the longtime director of the Houston Texans cheerleaders squad who was named as a defendant in one of two recent federal court lawsuits filed against the team, has resigned, a team spokeswoman said Tuesday. Gary resigned … Continue reading →

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Blake Farenthold is still a toad

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering. A former Texas congressman had tried steering a federal contract to the owner of a business who gave him a $160,000-a-year job after the congressman resigned amid sexual harassment allegations, according to a newspaper investigation … Continue reading →

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Texans cheerleader lawsuit update

Posted on June 28, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Couple points of interest here. A former Texans cheerleader who says cheer director Alto Gary derided her as “skinny fat” and applied duct tape to her stomach before a 2017 game added her name Friday to one of two lawsuits … Continue reading →

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More on the Texans’ cheerleader lawsuit

Posted on June 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a story in Vanity Fair about the second lawsuit filed against the Houston Texans by a group of former cheerleaders, who allege wage theft and harassment, among other things. The tale is from the perspective of plaintiff Gabriella Davis, … Continue reading →

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TDCJ, here’s your moment in the sexual harassment spotlight

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Please learn from it. More than a decade after a sexual assault scandal rocked the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the agency is still a “boys’ club” plagued by sexual harassment and a culture that makes it difficult for women … Continue reading →

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State Senate finally updates its sexual harassment policy

Posted on June 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We’d been waiting. The Texas Senate has adopted a new sexual harassment policy that mandates in-person anti-sexual harassment training for senators and offers more details on specific steps for reporting inappropriate behavior. The Senate’s policy, which was sent out to … Continue reading →

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State House remembers it was going to do something about sexual harassment

Posted on May 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

It’s something. Months after reports detailed a pervasive culture of sexual harassment at the state Capitol, Texas House Speaker Joe Straus on Wednesday announced another measure to address the issue. Straus, a Republican who will retire early next year, created … Continue reading →

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Someone needs to sue Blake Farenthold

Posted on April 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

That’s my response to this. Four months after U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold promised to repay an $84,000 sexual harassment settlement funded by taxpayers — and 11 days after the Republican resigned his Corpus Christi seat — he has yet to … Continue reading →

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More fire department sexual harassment allegations

Posted on April 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Welcome to the Woodlands. When she began her job at the fire department of The Woodlands Township in July 2013, Julie Thomas believed her skin was sufficiently thick to endure a work environment dominated almost entirely by “men with big … Continue reading →

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More on the HFD sex discrimination lawsuit

Posted on March 18, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Is anyone surprised that a lot more female firefighters have come forward to describe incidents of harassment at HFD since the initial story was published? Because if you are, I don’t think you’ve been paying much attention to the news … Continue reading →

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Shipley responds to harassment allegations

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Admit nothing, deny everything, make counter-accusations. The sexual harassment lawsuit filed against the owner of Shipley Do-Nuts this month is the latest in an ongoing legal fight between the doughnut maker and other former workers over an alleged fraud scheme. … Continue reading →

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Oh, no, Shipley’s

Posted on March 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Disgusting. Three former Shipley Do-Nuts employees are suing the company’s owner for allegedly groping them and making racist remarks, accusations that are consistent with a bevy of civil rights lawsuits filed by former workers since 2004. The women claim that … Continue reading →

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We have no idea how many sexual harassment complaints there have been at the Capitol

Posted on March 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

And we have a too zealous records retention policy to blame for that. Late last year, amid a national reckoning over sexual misconduct in politics, media and entertainment, reports surfaced of a pervasive culture of sexual harassment at the Texas … Continue reading →

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Feds sue city over HFD sex discrimination claims

Posted on March 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Yikes. The Justice Department has sued the city of Houston over sex discrimination claims launched by two female firefighters who say their male coworkers tormented them by urinating on the women’s bathroom walls and sinks and scrawling vulgar slurs on … Continue reading →

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Looks like the House just totally solved its sexual harassment problem

Posted on January 23, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

They went and got themselves a new training video. Woo hoo! [I]t’s a 40-minute video that seems unlikely to change the toxic atmosphere at the statehouse any time soon. The training is a video of a PowerPoint presentation with a … Continue reading →

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The Alley Theater debacle

Posted on January 14, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

What a mess. More than a dozen current and former Alley Theatre employees say the outgoing artistic director, Gregory Boyd, created a toxic work environment at the city’s most renowned theater, describing him as a tyrant who frequently singled out … Continue reading →

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Still grappling with how to handle sexual harassment claims

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I like the idea of putting the authority to investigate harassment claims in the Legislature into an independent body. Calls for independence between sexual misconduct investigations and those in power have grown in recent months, and experts and several lawmakers … Continue reading →

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Senate has a hearing on its sexual harassment policy

Posted on December 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The babiest of baby steps. There has only been one official sexual harassment complaint in the Texas Senate since 2001, the secretary of the Senate said Thursday. The Senate Administration Committee debated possible ways to revise current sexual harassment policy … Continue reading →

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Farenthold changes course

Posted on December 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Sort of. U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi, will retire from Congress after finishing his current term, a source close to the congressman told The Tribune Thursday morning. Farenthold soon confirmed the decision in an emotional video posted on Facebook.The … Continue reading →

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So now that names have been named, now what?

Posted on December 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe some hearings? I don’t know. Texas leaders called for a review of sexual harassment policies at the state Legislature following a Texas Tribune story detailing how current procedures offered little protection for victims and describing a wide range of harassment at the … Continue reading →

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Farenthold draws a crowd of opponents

Posted on December 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Bring ’em on. Bech Bruun, chairman of the Texas Water Development Board, resigned Thursday from that position ahead of an anticipated bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi. “Serving as the Chairman of the Texas Water Development Board … Continue reading →

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That sexual harassment day of reckoning in Texas politics has begun

Posted on December 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The Daily Beast follows up its initial reporting about the secret sexual predators of Texas politics with a story that names names. Two names, in particular. Rather than excerpt at length, allow me to quote the Texas Monthly Daily Post … Continue reading →

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