Hall & Lampros Negotiates $1 Million Settlement Against South Georgia Police Chief After Bringing Federal Sexual Harassment Claims
ATLANTA (Oct. 26, 2021) – Hall & Lampros, LLP, the Atlanta personal injury and employment law firm, has negotiated a $1 million settlement agreement against Jesup Police Chief William Michael “Mike” Lane of the Jesup Police Department for sexual harassment.
In the case of Brantley et.al., v. City of Jesup, Georgia, filed in a federal district court, three plaintiffs brought suit against Police Chief Lane for sexual harassment and describing a highly sexualized work environment.
The three women alleged in the suit that Lane asked them to have sex with him, saying they “owed him” for their jobs. The women allege that he repeatedly made lewd comments and his behavior extended to unwanted physical touching, as well as taking them to a cabin (owned by the city manager) to have sex, which they refused. All three women resigned from their positions due to Lane’s misconduct.
The three plaintiffs were represented by Andrew Lampros and Gordon Van Remmen of Hall & Lampros LLP, Edward D. Buckley, and Alessandra Palazzolo of Buckley Beal LLP, and Joseph R. Padgett of Roden Law.
Lampros told the Daily Report the case moved swiftly once defense counsel and the city’s insurer, Georgia Interlocal Risk Management Agency (GIRMA), reviewed the allegations and evidence.
“We were able to get the case settled pretty quickly because the chief’s behavior was so outrageous, and we had evidence documenting it,” he told the legal daily. Forensic cell phone data helped provide key corroborating evidence in the case.
Pointing to claims that the chief’s behavior was fairly blatant to police department employees, Lampros said there “was not a lot of shame there. The parties were able to appreciate the facts and how the law would apply,” he said. “There were good lawyers on both sides.”
The police chief was terminated, and the city manager resigned shortly after the lawsuit was filed in February 2021. The complaint included federal constitutional equal protection and civil rights claims and state tort claims including assault and negligent hiring, retention, and supervision. The agreement to settle was reached in August and the stipulation of dismissal was entered Oct. 13. The case is Brantley et. al., v. City of Jesup et. al., case number 2:21-cv-00012, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia.
About Hall & Lampros, LLP
Hall & Lampros, LLP is a law firm working in the areas of personal injury, employment law and class actions. The dedicated team at the firm has recovered more than $400 million for clients, thanks in its part to the reputation for top-level advocacy. The team maximizes recovery so that clients can rebuild and take back their lives after a major accident or legal dispute. https://www.hallandlampros.com/
Media Contacts
Andrew Lampros, 404-876-8100, alampros@hallandlampros.com
Gordan Van Remmen, 404-876-8100, gordon@hallandlampros.com
Chris has successfully represented numerous clients in catastrophic personal injury, employment law matters, class action, consumer protection, business tort, and legislative matters involving multi-million-dollar damages.