Library District settles sexual harassment suit

Beth Slovic

Friday, Jan. 14, 2005 | 9:30 a.m.

The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District board on Thursday approved a $180,000 settlement to end an eight-year-old sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit against the district.

The plaintiffs -- Deborah Jackson, Vanessa Halsell and Emma Hobbs -- were Library District employees. They each are to receive $33,425 in the settlement. And their lawyer, Geraldine Kirk-Hughes, is to get $79,725 in attorney's fees.

The 1997 lawsuit alleged that West Las Vegas Library administrators did not properly respond to the plaintiffs' complaints that the work environment at the library was hostile.

For two years beginning in 1995, a male employee at the library sexually harassed the plaintiffs with lewd comments and gestures, the lawsuit alleged.

The plaintiffs further alleged that their complaints were ignored because they were heavyset and black.

In 2003, when one of the plaintiffs organized a protest outside a library board meeting to bring renewed attention to the case, Daniel Walters,the Library District's executive director, said the district would not agree to a large settlement. At the time, Kirk-Hughes said she figured the district should pay $300,000 to settle the case.

But Walters at that time said: "It is not in our interest to pay excessive settlements for claims that investigators conclude to be without merit."

So the case continued to drag on, finally ending up in court-ordered mediation. And on Thursday, Walters said he was pleased that the matter had finally been settled.

"We're comfortable that this is an adequate settlement," Walters said Thursday.

In other action, the board: