A councilman "lurked" in the office and "hovered over her ... in a sexually aggressive manner," the lawsuit says.
An ex-clerk's federal lawsuit claims an Alpha councilman was sexually aggressive toward her, and that other borough officials didn't care.
Christy Rose, of Easton, filed action in February against the Warren County borough, her former employer, in U.S. District Court.
She is accusing the borough of sexual harassment, retaliation and creating a hostile work environment. The suit seeks financial compensation for lost wages as well as punitive damages.
Alpha officials, including the accused Councilman Thomas Seiss, declined to comment this month on the ongoing litigation. Mayor Craig Dunwell, who was not in office at the time of the alleged harassment, said the borough is being represented by its labor attorney, Frank Taddeo.
Rose's attorney, Traci Greenberg, also did not return calls for comment.
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According to the lawsuit, Rose, who was 43 at the time of the filing, resigned from her position as Alpha's deputy clerk in 2015 after eight years there.
The harassment allegedly began late the year before, when Seiss "lurked" in the office until Rose was alone, then "aggressively entered (her) office and hovered over her in uncomfortably close proximity and in a sexually aggressive manner."
Rose filed a complaint with the borough, but officials never instructed Seiss to stop, the lawsuit claims. In a meeting with other officials, the borough's attorney, Chris Troxell, allegedly mocked Rose's concerns saying she should put tape on the floor to mark a line Seiss should not cross.
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After the complaint, Seiss stopped in her office at least once more and on another occasion stared at her through her office window, the lawsuit alleges.
Rose submitted her resignation after a memo from the borough attorney "made it clear to (her) that no actual investigation had been conducted and that (the borough) had no intention of taking corrective action."
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.