SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California's state Senate has agreed to pay a $350,000 settlement to a former employee who says the Senate failed to accommodate her needs and later fired her after she alleged an Assembly employee raped her.
A spokeswoman for Democratic Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins of San Diego confirmed the settlement Wednesday. It was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.
The settlement paid from tax dollars is at least double any other recently reported legislative payout.
Lawyer Micah Star Liberty filed the lawsuit on behalf of an unnamed victim. It alleges the victim was raped in December 2016 and suffered post-traumatic stress disorder. It alleges the Legislature failed to accommodate her requests to avoid the perpetrator. She was fired in September 2017.
