County Jail Employee Wins Harassment Suit

A jury on Thursday awarded $480,000 to an Orange County correctional employee, finding the woman had been sexually harassed by three male co-workers at the Central Men’s Jail.

Ramona Barbour, 39, contended during a five-week trial in Orange County Superior Court that she had been subjected to constant and offensive verbal and physical harassment as well as unwanted sexual advances from May 1993 until January 1995. She eventually took a leave and was transferred to another jail in March 1995.

Barbour, a correctional service technician since 1987, was one of the few women assigned to work at the county’s Central Men’s Jail at the time, said Fred D. Crawford IV, a Santa Monica lawyer who represented Barbour.

“It was horrible what she went through,” Crawford said. “She asked many times for a transfer.”

After about 21 hours of deliberations over four days, jurors decided that three of 11 co-workers named in Barbour’s lawsuit--Sgt. William Kaufmann, Deputy Christopher Cejka and technician Jose Gil Rocha--had engaged in sexual harassment, Crawford said. The jury also found the county liable for damages, saying sheriff’s officials knew, or should have known, a “hostile work environment” existed at the jail, he said.

County lawyers, who denied Barbour was sexually harassed and called more than 40 witnesses, could not be reached for comment.

The jury’s verdict included findings that Barbour was subjected to gender harassment by several co-workers. While the jury found Barbour eligible for punitive damages, she was awarded the $480,000 for lost earnings, medical bills and pain and suffering.