The Reporting of Sexual Harassment Increasing

In San Diego and throughout the state, the reporting of sexual harassment complaints is increasing, officials said.

A decade ago, such complaints made up 3% of all those filed with the state Department of Fair Employment and Housing. Today, it has risen to 20%, or about 1,500 sexual harassment cases filed with the state annually.

In San Diego, about 60 people--mostly women--file sexual harassment complaints with the local office of the Department of Fair Employment and Housing each month.

But Linda Nolan, the local district administrator, said she was concerned that the publicity given to the case involving former San Diego Planning Director Robert Spaulding and former senior planner Susan M. Bray would make other victims decide not to file.

Experts estimate that 60% of victims do not file complaints.

“It’s a huge problem,” Nolan said. “There are different types of embarrassment involved in these cases. There’s a lot of shame because women are afraid people will think they invited it. And because they blame themselves.”

For those who do file, the range of financial settlements can vary widely, Nolan said. Many out-of-court settlements--like the deal Bray struck with the city--come to about $35,000. When such cases are litigated, it can cost a company much more than that. In Bray’s case, city officials had estimated that the city stood to lose $1 million if the case had gone through the court system and the city had lost.

A sexual harassment relationship, such as the one described by Bray in her complaint, in which she claims she had an affair because she feared losing her job, is not uncommon, said Dean Delis, associate professor of psychiatry at the UC San Diego Medical School.

“There’s a magical formula that can lead to sexual harassment,” Delis said. “It happens when the person will try to capitalize on his work power or status to become involved with the other person.”