N.J. Fire Dept. Settles Sexual Harassment Suit for $50K

A sexual harassment lawsuit, filed by a former female firefighter with the Franklin Township, N.J., Fire District, No. 3, resulted in a $50,000 confidential settlement that was just revealed in a news account.

According to NJ.com, a web site containing local N.J. news, Courtney Jackson alleged that then Assistant Chief Chris Calvo made sexual harassing comments to and about her while she served as a firefighter at Franklin Community Volunteer Fire Station 25 from March 2012 to June 2013. She further alleged that she was “retaliatorily discharged” from the department after she complained about the assistant chief’s behavior.

Specifically, the web site reports, that Calvo commented that Jackson would have to get a “triangle test” to see “if the carpet matches the drapes” in April 2013 when she commented that she was going to get a mask fit test. In her lawsuit, Jackson said it was a clear reference to her genitals.

Also in April 2013, Calvo used an inappropriate term for a woman’s breast when he was describing a fictional Boston Marathon bomber, referring to her by saying: “Oh, I heard it was this light skinned, big (expletive) black girl,” the web site reported.

The suit also alleged that Calvo called her a “f---- bitch” on at least two occasions.

The fire district, Calvo and his father Deputy Chief Herman Calvo, were all named in the lawsuit. Chris Calvo has since been promoted to deputy and his father, Herman Calvo, is now chief, the web site reported.

The terms of the confidential settlement, which was reached on Sept. 24, 2014, were revealed through an Open Public Records Act request, filed by John Paff, a New Jersey-based government transparency advocate.