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IN SEXUAL HARASSMENT CASE
Ex-DYS staff is ordered to explain failure to show up
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Posted on Jul 19 2019
A former social worker of the Child Protection Unit of the Division of Youth Services has been directed to explain why the court should not dismiss her sexual harassment lawsuit against her then-supervisor after she failed to show up at a status conference in court.
In an order to show cause last Wednesday, U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona ordered the plaintiff to appear at a show-cause hearing and explain why her complaint should not be dismissed.
Saipan Tribune has chosen to withhold the name of the complainant for the moment.
Manglona said plaintiff may respond in writing by emailing her response.
She was ordered to appear at the show-cause hearing on Sept. 11, 2019, at 8:30am (CNMI time). She is allowed to appear by telephone.
At a status conference last May 29, the plaintiff, who lives in the U.S. mainland, appeared by telephone. In that hearing, she was ordered to prepare a summary of her efforts to hire an attorney after she stated she could not find a lawyer to represent her in her complaint.
The court then set another status conference for last Wednesday at 8:30am, when the plaintiff did not call in.
Manglona said court staff tried to contact the plaintiff, but were unsuccessful.
The judge then set the show-cause hearing after she called the case and plaintiff was not present.
Manglona earlier ordered the complainant to submit a summary report on all attorneys she had contacted.
The complainant was left with no counsel after her first lawyer, Joseph E. Horey, withdrew as counsel last March.
Horey then agreed with Manglona that the complaint was not served yet on defendant Julian R. Camacho and co-defendants.
Aside from Camacho, the complainant named as co-defendants the CNMI government, and the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs’ DYS.
The plaintiff is suing Camacho for violation of her civil rights, and the CNMI government and DCCA DYS for unlawful employment practices and violation of her civil rights.
She is demanding damages, court costs, and attorney’s fees.
According to the complaint, Camacho, the plaintiff’s male supervisor in the CPU, allegedly made sexual advances at her over the course of several months. (Ferdie de la Torre)
