Stillwater mayor sued for sexual harassment
Stillwater mayor sued for sexual harassment

Comments Comment on this article15

By Johnny Johnson
Published: May 15, 2008

STILLWATER — In a lawsuit filed in Payne County Tuesday, Stillwater Mayor Roger McMillian is accused of gender discrimination, sexual harassment and favoritism to those who accept sexual advancements by two former employees and one current employee of the Stillwater branch of The Bank, N.A., where McMillian is president.

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The three women claim the bank environment is perceived as hostile by some female employees, that McMillian frequently made derogatory and sexually explicit slurs and jokes about the bodies and dress of female customers and young attractive applicants to the bank.

The suit also alleges that McMillian wanted to send a particularly attractive female employee to an OSU booth for new accounts, "because college boys would love looking at her body, and she could get them to come to the bank's booth."

The women also allege that McMillian allowed and encouraged sexually explicit e-mails to be exchanged among employees and that he encouraged bank employees to have a naked swimming party at a coworkers house.

When the women reported their complaints to the CEO of the McAlester-based bank, CEO Greg Brown told one of the women that he found the allegations "hard to believe," and would have to dismiss the complaint unless other employees called him, the document said.

Although he said he had not actually seen the lawsuit Thursday morning, McMillian says 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.

Contributing: The Associated Press.


 

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One of the things I found most disturbing in the article was the reaction of the CEO when the ladies came to him with their concerns. He said that he would dismiss their complaint unless other people came forward to complain as well. So, a group of three women coming together to file a complaint isn't sufficient to at least look into things? The CEO was going to simply dismiss them out of hand and blow the whole thing off. What is wrong with THAT picture???
Cindy, Norman - May 16, 2008 at 8:59 am
Tom Stillwater - I stated that he was our church sponser and I never saw anything inappropriate then, but that it was 20+ years ago. People change, I know that. It is quite within the realm of possibilty that he is guilty. I can see maybe one person but three?
K, Oklahoma City - May 15, 2008 at 11:03 pm
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I'm wondering something. Maybe the guy they are looking for for indecent exposure late last month is the Mayor of Stillwater and bank exec. could be, has the okc police interrogated him and maybe they should.
LG, Yukon - May 15, 2008 at 9:23 pm
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Sexual Harassment is how it is perceived not how it was intended. If I hear a co-worker telling another co-worker he likes her short skirt and even if it doesn't bother the lady but it offends me...I can cry sexual harassment. Maybe these ladies have a legitimate gripe or maybe they don't but if they perceived it that way and can prove it...he may be in big trouble.
K, Edmond - May 15, 2008 at 6:37 pm
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Well I read the filing on OSCN.It was shocking. I can't imagine what it was like for these women to have to work in that environment every day.Don't believe me though, read it for yourself. If true , this is a great disgrace and he should resign as Mayor. Not very good PR for the fastest growing city in the state and for the Bank NA. Don't let the fact he was a Church sponsor influence you.The BK killer in Wichita was a church deacon. So anyone is possible of anything. It will be an interesting case to follow .
Tom, Stillwater - May 15, 2008 at 5:41 pm
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And there in lies the underbelly of my question: Maybe we should change what hostile is and what sexual discrimination is. In my own humble opinion, I believe they are two separate things, but CAN become related. For instance: Would I have the same legal backing if I filed a lawsuit because someone had a photo on his or her desk of a spider. Spiders make me very uncomfortable. So therefore, it would be a 'hostile' work environment. See how strong of a word that is for such an insignificant circumstance? That's where I'm getting at. I think we need to break these lawsuits down and treat them on the level of which the event is socially important.
Robbie-1, oklahoma city - May 15, 2008 at 5:20 pm
That said, I am not sure who I believe. I am orginally from Stillwater and know Roger McMillian from church activities. He was our sponser at one point and I never saw anything inappropriate then but that was 20+ years ago. That is why we have juries.
K, Oklahoma City - May 15, 2008 at 5:11 pm
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Maybe you don't understand because you are a man and usually,(Not Always) men are the harassers. The definition of a hostile workplace is ANYTHING that makes you uncomfortable. If people were getting raises and promotions because they accepted the behavior then that is a hostile work environment. If he did, indeed, shake his butt in their faces while standing on a chair, then that would also fall under hostile. If the bank attorney threatened them with termination if they filed suit, then that would be hostile.
K, Oklahoma City - May 15, 2008 at 5:06 pm
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Jacob, did I say I believed either side of the case? Yes, there were multiple witnesses and multiple complaints. Maybe I wasn't clear enough in my original statement on the topic I was touching on; the 'hostile' work environment. The above story may not be the most prime example for the topic, but it applies anyway. The article doesn't state that McMillian made a sexual pass at any of the employees. The article alleges he made comments and generalizations. How does that classify as 'hostile' and how do we know for sure that these women felt threatened when these comments were made? I'm not saying they were or were not, just how do we know? To me, a hostile work environment is when a disgruntled employee brings a gun to work. Maybe I am too callused to people and take every little thing said to me with a grain of salt. Maybe these women honestly felt in danger for their lives or maybe they are too soft. That’s the question I was asking.
Robbie-1, oklahoma city - May 15, 2008 at 4:57 pm
And before I get ridiculed, I am not taking up for the guy.
OK, Lahoma - May 15, 2008 at 4:45 pm
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Jacob, one of the complaints against him was the lady didn't like him flirting with employees. Sounds a little bit like she didn't like being ignored. I read it, try comprehending for a change.
OK, Lahoma - May 15, 2008 at 4:41 pm
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You guys are unreal. Just because a girl accusses someone of harrassment doesn't mean she is lying. Did you read the formal written document? Sounds like mulitple examples with many witnesses to me. Actually try reading for a change.
Jacob, Kansas - May 15, 2008 at 4:24 pm
If that's why we have juries, then what is the EEOC for? And how many times SHOULD these women get to make their allegations???
c, Oklahoma City - May 15, 2008 at 3:52 pm
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I guess that's why we have juries who hear evidence at trials.
Greg, Oklahoma City - May 15, 2008 at 3:10 pm
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Kind of makes you wonder who is actually distraught with sexual harassment, or who just wants to sue anyone for a big payout. I am not saying I support sexual harassment anywhere to anyone, but whether or not the person who filed the suit really felt the workplace to be 'hostile' or just wanted to make a few bucks is up for debate.
Robbie-1, oklahoma city - May 15, 2008 at 1:44 pm

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