Two lawsuits claiming a former St. John police officer sexually harassed dispatchers have been put on hold after a federal judge agreed to a stay.
The stay, granted Tuesday, puts one of the lawsuits, filed by a plaintiff identified only as M.B., on hold pending the results of a mediation being overseen by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. According to the motion asking for the stay, the mediation could resolve all of the issues raised in the lawsuit and will likely be finished by the end of July.
The granting of the stay comes a week after U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Cherry granted an extension in the second lawsuit, filed by plaintiff M.G., to delay any other filings in that case until they have also seen the results from the EEOC mediation.
M.G. and M.B., both represented by Christopher Cooper, filed lawsuits in March in the U.S. District Court in Hammond against former Cmdr. Michael Fryzel, Chief Fred Frego and Town Manager Stephen Kil. According to the lawsuits, Fryzel routinely made sexual comments to the female dispatchers and at inappropriately touched both women.
When M.B. complained about his behavior, her lawsuit says, Frego told her it was likely an accident and then later asked her to “get on board” about her harassment complaint.
Fryzel retired from the police department in early March, which the lawsuit claims was in relation to the sexual harassment complaints.
Teresa Auch Schultz can be reached at [email protected].
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