California Charter School Pays $1.4 M to Settle Sexual Harassment Lawsuit

Los Angeles, CA- In the midst of financial problems, a California charter school organization has decided to pay $1.4 million to three women who accused a high-profile educator of sexual harassment.

Fernando Pullman, 54, a musician and a teacher was responsible for developing the performing arts program at ICEF charter schools. He quietly left the organization last year following the sexual harassment allegations.

The first lawsuit was filed in 2009 by one Pullman’s former assistants, Wendy Johnson, who alleges that he bragged about his sexual exploits and showed her graphic sex tapes of himself. Johnson also claims Pullman insisted on having sex with another teacher she was sharing a room with while on a band trip in Spain.

Johnson reported the behavior to ICEF management once they returned from the trip, but was fired within in a week. This is called retaliation and when employers engage in this behavior, sexual harassment attorneys can sue for lost wages on behalf of their clients.

A second woman, a 33 year-old dance teacher had a sexual relationship with Pullman, but filed a harassment claim against him which resulted in $175,000 settlement.

The third woman to accuse Pullman of sexual harassment, Monicka De Yampert, once had a sexual relationship with him that began when she was 18 and continued for 7 years. Later, in her 30s, the woman began working for ICEF and Pullman began pursuing her again. According to her allegations, Pullman threatened to withhold paychecks or forced her to pick them up at his home.

She informed him in 2011 that she reported him for several instances of harassment, which prompted Pullman to threaten to fire her. Last month, ICEF agreed to pay her $875,000.

Regardless of the laws, many people engage in sexually harassing behavior which makes for a hostile work environment. Employers have an obligation to protect their employees from this behavior, but often fail to, and the victims must them turn to a sexual harassment lawyer for help.

A sexual harassment attorney makes it possible for victims of workplace abuse to hold their abusers and employers accountable for their actions.