Pennsylvania paid $900K in sex misconduct case

The state Capitol in Harrisburg. (Photo by Tim Lambert/WITF)

(Harrisburg) — Pennsylvania is revealing that it paid $900,000 in 2016 to settle a workplace sexual misconduct case, the state’s biggest payout of that type to come to light in recent months.

The money was paid to a woman who accused her boss of molesting, harassing and threatening her while she worked for the Department of Revenue from 2011 to 2013.

The settlement was disclosed by Gov. Tom Wolf’s office in response to questions by The Associated Press about sexual harassment settlements by the executive branch. Wolf’s office is expected to disclose additional settlements discovered in an ongoing review of cases.

Amid a national reckoning over sexual harassment on the job, more than $1.5 million in payouts by Pennsylvania during the last eight years have become public in recent weeks. They include a $250,000 jury award last month in a state trooper’s lawsuit.

The victim of the Revenue Department supervisor told the AP she felt she should have received a bigger settlement because of her long ordeal.

She had originally sought $5 million in a 2014 federal lawsuit accusing Albert Forlizzi, a regional administrator, of molesting her repeatedly, exposing himself at work, demanding sex and threatening retaliation if she reported his behavior.

Forlizzi pleaded no contest to charges of indecent assault and official oppression in 2015. He was sentenced to four years of probation and required to register as a sex offender.

The Associated Press does not typically identify victims of sexual crimes, and the woman, interviewed Monday, said she did not wish to be identified for the report on the settlement with the state.

A person who answered the phone at Forlizzi’s workplace said he could not get a message to him, and a message left at his home seeking his comment was not immediately returned.

In a statement, the Wolf administration called Forlizzi’s conduct, which occurred prior to Wolf becoming governor, “abhorrent, appalling and criminal.”

“The victim deserves commendation for her courage in coming forward and making sure this individual was held accountable for his repulsive conduct,” the administration said.

The state workforce under Wolf’s jurisdiction numbers about 73,000. Agencies under the governor’s jurisdiction fielded 339 reports of alleged sexual harassment over a recent five-year period, according to state data released last week.

Records released to date show all three branches of Pennsylvania state government have settled sexual misconduct allegations in recent years, including claims for unwelcome touching, kissing and lascivious comments.

In the past two weeks, Wolf has called on two Democratic lawmakers to resign following disclosures about their behavior, including one, Rep. Tom Caltagirone, whose former aide’s claim of sexual harassment was settled with a $250,000 payment.

Caltagirone has said he is innocent.

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Associated Press news researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report.

An earlier story appears below. 

(Harrisburg) — The state of Pennsylvania is revealing that it paid $900,000 in 2016 to settle a workplace sex misconduct case, the biggest such state government payout to come to light in recent months.

The money was paid to a woman who accused her boss of molesting and harassing her while she worked for the Department of Revenue from 2011 to 2013.

The settlement was disclosed by Gov. Tom Wolf’s office in response to questions by The Associated Press about sex harassment settlements by the executive branch.

Amid a national reckoning over sex harassment on the job, $1.5 million in payouts by the Pennsylvania state government over the last eight years have become public in recent weeks. They include a $250,000 jury award last month in a state trooper’s lawsuit.