New York Civil Rights Attorney Eric Sanders, Esq., of The Sanders Firm, P.C., alleges in a $30 Million Dollar lawsuit that the NYPD fosters a sexually charged work atmosphere where Caucasian Male supervisors can openly abuse their minority female subordinates
March 4, 2013 (New York-NY) – Lisette Pedrosa says that working at the 25th Precinct is “very stressful.”
Pedrosa, who is a Puerto Rican Female, says that from January 2010 through this day, she has been retaliated against after complaining about being subjected to the highly offensive sexual conduct of Lieutenant Salvatore Marchese including frequent requests for sex, sexually explicit text messages and vulgar comments in the workplace as well as on her personal cellular telephone. She alleges that Lieutenant Marchese while her direct supervisor would frequently isolate her from her colleagues then bombard her with frequent requests for sex, sexual favors, sexually explicit text messages and vulgar comments. She alleges that Lieutenant Marchese would send pictures of his erect penis to her personal cellular telephone. Pedrosa alleges that Lieutenant Marchese controlled her workplace assignments and activities even when he was off-duty by using other supervisors’ to closely monitor her.
When Pedrosa eventually developed the courage to rebuff his persistent behavior, Lieutenant Marchese retaliated against her by ensuring that she received “punishment assignments,” reduced overtime, a transfer out of the Conditions Unit to a less desirable patrol squad assignment and unfair discipline. Several other supervisors’ named in the lawsuit assisted, condoned or acquiesced to Lieutenant Marchese’s conduct.
After Pedrosa went public with her complaints in June 2011, the NYPD Office of Equal Employment Opportunity notified her that it was “SUBSTANTIATING” some of her allegations against Lieutenant Marchese. However, he received little if any discipline for his conduct. Pedrosa says that “he was rewarded for his misconduct when he was transferred to the 34th Precinct, where he has an assignment with even more subordinates and greater responsibility.”
“Whenever, ‘Females of Color’ complain about race discrimination, sexual harassment and related conduct in the workplace against Caucasian Male supervisors their complaints are routinely minimized by the NYPD management” says Sanders.
Sanders said that the management routinely violated federal and state civil rights laws by failing to take appropriate action to ensure that Pedrosa’s workplace is free of race discrimination, sexual harassment and related conduct.
Eric Sanders, Esq., of The Sanders Firm, P.C., filed suit on February 25, 2013. The name of the case is: LISETTE PEDROSA v. THE CITY OF NEW YORK, ET AL., Index No.: 301291-2013, filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, County of the Bronx.
The Sanders Firm, P.C., is a nationally recognized law firm located in New York City serving clients’ throughout the five (5) boroughs of the City of New York Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island as well as Nassau, Orange, Suffolk and Westchester Counties focused on cases involving civil rights, civil service law, criminal law and discrimination.