Salt Lake County settles sex harassment suit

A $96,000 settlement by Salt Lake County for a sexual harassment case has ended a 16-month battle that brought the county clerk's office under the microscope.

But Mayor Peter Corroon quickly added that the hefty sum to end the federal suit is not an admission of wrongdoing by the county.

"We believe we did take appropriate action after finding out what happened to ensure that our work environment would be free from sexual harassment," Corroon said.

The agreement awards $30,000 for attorney fees and another $66,000 to Marcia Rice, a former administrative coordinator who sued the county this past March alleging that county officials knew of sexual harassment against her but did nothing to stop it.

Rice also sued former Chief Deputy Clerk Nick Floros, accusing him of exposing himself, simulating sex acts and requesting sex from her at county offices.

The settlement, signed July 29, ends Rice's claim against the county but leaves the door open for Rice to pursue action against Floros as an individual defendant.

"These things are best resolved outside of the court and outside of the press, so it was our philosophy that we wanted to enter into a settlement," Corroon said. "We wanted to make a statement that we are committed to providing our employees with a good work environment and that we address complaints whenever possible."

Corroon noted that the cost to litigate the civil rights claim would have run well into the $100,000 range. Although the county still conducted an investigation into all the complaints, he said it was ultimately best to settle.

"These things keep our attention from where it should be, which is the people's business," he said.

Salt Lake County officials refused to release the results of the county's internal investigation and denied an appeal from the Deseret Morning News to access the records via the Government Records Access and Management Act.

Though the county chose to settle the case, County Clerk Sherrie Swensen released a statement Tuesday asserting her position that she had not ignored complaints from Rice about Floros' advances.

Swensen also said she and Rice reached an agreement to dismiss the claims against Swensen after the county finalized its settlement.

Rice's lawsuit specifically cited Swensen, saying she was told in writing that Floros was "creating a hostile environment" by "inappropriate touching and invasion of personal space." The lawsuit further said Swensen took no action to stop the conduct and hired Floros with knowledge of a history of harassing behavior.

"I fully support Salt Lake County's policy against sexual harassment and maintain an open door policy with my employees," Swensen said in the statement. "Despite numerous contacts with the complainant, Ms. Rice, at no time did she complain to me about Mr. Floros' behavior."

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