A $15,000 settlement has been reached in a case between a central Arkansas city and two of its employees over accusations that City Clerk and Treasurer Joshua Clausen sexually harassed them.
The payment approved by the Maumelle City Council ends a federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation against Clausen, who’s in his third term after being re-elected in November without opposition, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
Maumelle Mayor Mike Watson said that the settlement was agreed upon after a long mediation process.
Clausen referred questions to his attorney, Bill James, who said his client wasn’t involved in the agreement that was reached.
“The bottom line is he said he was disappointed that the city caved as they did,” James said. “Certainly we understand the city wants to limit its liability. Their settlement obviously creates an inference he did something wrong that he denies.”
The mayor said he previously requested Clausen to resign but that Clausen refused.
“I’m not aware of any way he can be forced out,” Maumelle City Attorney Caleb Norris said. “The mayor can’t fire him … this settlement, I think, was a positive resolution to it.”
The settlement doesn’t prevent criminal charges from being pursued against Clausen by either employee. The city must implement a written procedure that allows complaints by city employees against another worker or an elected official to be presented in writing to the director of Human Resources and kept by the city for three years.
Topics Arkansas
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