A Hudson County employee has filed a lawsuit alleging that her boss sexually harassed her, as well as that racism has been a regular issue in the workplace.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Lula Lee Johnson, a 20-year employee who is the administrative supervisor over the Hudson County Welfare Division’s Fraud Department, filed an 11-count lawsuit in Hudson County Superior Court through her attorney, Cecile D. Portilla, on August 19th.
“Plaintiff has been serving and managing the fraud department for over 1 year now and made numerous complaints to personnel about the harassment that she has been experiencing, from her Director Robert Knapp and his right hand union president Frances Cintron,” the court filing contends.
“Plaintiff made a complaint for sexual harassment against Mr. Knapp 1 year ago because the palm of his hand touched her buttock body part inappropriately by [groping] her.”
The suit continues that Johnson complained that Knapp was sexually harassing her on June 28th, 2022 and just over a year later, June 29th, 2023, allegedly received a letter in the mail that indicated that wouldn’t be investigating the matter any further.
Around that same time, specifically July 27th, 2023, Johnson and some of her co-workers signed a petition that said a Hispanic colleague (identified as GH) had referred to Johnson, who is Black, and two of her Black colleagues as the n-word.
Johnson claims that she wrote to outside counsel Deena Rosendahl on December 1st, 2023 stating that she had faced retaliation, which did not yield any response from the personnel director.
While Johnson asked the personnel director, identified as Ms. G, not to share information about her complaint with any unauthorized person after it appeared there would be an investigation, she shared the details with her friend GH, the lawsuit states.
As this was going on, Cintron allegedly told colleagues to write up Johnson for anything they could, saying outright she was trying to get her in trouble for getting Knapp moved out of the department.
“Mr. Knapp also keeps plaintiff out of the loop from participating in the Administrators’ Meetings where all other administrators because she would not welcome his sexual advance and complained to the attorneys and E.G., the H.R. Director,” the complaint asserts.
“Plaintiff stopped allowing Mr. Knapp to speak to her in any inappropriate manner which caused him to become angry and yell at her.”
Additionally, Johnson made allegations dating back to 2021, alleging that Knapp denied her administrator training and forced her to “work out of title,” as well as ignoring her requests for a desk audit.
She also allegedly reached out to other counties and state agencies seeking help since she was purposely not provided adequate staff.
“Plaintiff’s fraud staff workers also put in a complaint in 2023 that they were doing work of the workforce family development [and] wish to be relieved and that request was unanswered,” the court filing also notes.
“No other department is doing work that belongs to another department but plaintiff’s department, the Fraud unit. [P]laintiff’s extra assignments began when she rejected [K]napp’s advances.”
Through Portilla, Johnson also wrote that other administrators are able to speak to directors for assistance, but she is only allowed to speak to a lawyer. To that end, she is also supervised by two attorneys, including one who is friends with Knapp.
Furthermore, she claims she is unable to do her work since her department used to have 20 investigators and is now down to six, and was also forced to take furlough days after her husband suffered a stroke since a request for intermittent forms was not answered.
As a result, Johnson is suing for gender discrimination, sexual harassment, reckless and intentional infliction of emotional stress, as well as retaliation, hostile work environment, aiding and abetting unlawful discrimination, denial of substantive and procedural due process, civil conspiracy, defamation, and slander, along with deprivation of civil and constitutional rights.
She is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, as well as attorneys’ fees, along with any relief the court deems just and equitable.
A county spokesman declined to comment, stating that it is their policy not to discuss pending litigation.
In the beginning…