N.M. college hit with federal lawsuit
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1/9/2009 -
LAS VEGAS, N.M. — Luna Community College is being sued by the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly discriminating against the college's former academic director.Charlene Ortiz-Cordova has accused the college's former president of sexual harassment, saying he allegedly touched her and made inappropriate comments between October 2005 and April 2006.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court Friday, claims the harassment resulted in a hostile work environment, and Ortiz-Cordova was forced to step down from her position.
Grace Chung Becker, acting assistant attorney general for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, said Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects women from discrimination in employment.
"The Department of Justice will vigorously pursue cases when employers fail or refuse to take appropriate action to stop sexual harassment in the workplace," she said.
The lawsuit alleges that Ortiz-Cordova's supervisor, Leroy Sanchez, subjected her to sexual harassment over the course of several months by making unwanted physical contact of a sexual nature, unwanted sexual gestures and sexually explicit comments to her, among other allegations.
The lawsuit also claims the college failed or refused to take appropriate action to prevent and correct the sexual harassment.
The college on Friday did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
The college, in a written response to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission last year, said Ortiz-Cordova and Sanchez "exhibited inappropriate behavior towards each other," though the behavior was consensual and did not constitute sexual harassment.
Sanchez served as president for five years until he stepped down in fall 2006.
The Justice Department said the lawsuit against Luna Community College marks the first Title VII complaint it has filed this year. The department filed 12 such lawsuits last year.
