Stillwater mayor faces a lawsuit
Stillwater mayor faces harassment, bias lawsuit
By Johnny Johnson
Published: May 16, 2008
STILLWATER — Attorney Lori Young says she is proud of the three women who came to her with a sexual harassment complaint last year, because suing their boss at the bank also meant suing the mayor of Stillwater.
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Mayor denies allegations
Although he said he had not actually seen the lawsuit Thursday morning, McMillian said he believes the allegations to be false because they were made previously to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which he said investigated the situation and found no violations of federal discrimination laws.
Young said she was not surprised the EEOC found no violations. She said the "investigation” McMillian referred to simply meant the commission took written statements from both sides.
"They did not investigate the claim, interview witnesses or even my clients,” she said. "They do not have the last word on this or else we would not have the right to pursue this in court.”
McMillian is a Stillwater native who was elected mayor in April 2006, and his term expires in 2009.
He graduated from Oklahoma State University and the University of Tulsa College of Law.
In the mid- to late 1970s, he served as city attorney for Stillwater and became employed as president of the bank in 2000.
Attorney threats alleged
Young writes in the lawsuit that McMillian once hired attorney Kieran Maye to give sexual harassment seminars to bank employees.
Once the seminar was over, however, the lawsuit alleges that Maye told the employees that "if they ever thought about bringing a sexual harassment claim against The Bank, he would be all over them like ugly on an ape and would make their lives very uncomfortable.”
The lawsuit claims that Young's clients were intimidated by the threats and took them seriously, but after they still decided to pursue legal action, they were forced to meet with Maye.
McMillian has said Maye will be defending himself and the bank in the matter, the suit says.
Because Young plans to call Maye as a witness in the lawsuit, she said she believes there is a conflict of interest in allowing him to represent the bank and McMillian.
She said she will plan to address that issue with his firm and with the court.
McMillian has said he will vigorously defend the lawsuit.
Young said she is confident that any judge or jury will see her clients as three women with "impeccable credibility” and who are "willing to take a stand” for what they think is right.
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