A Mercer County Community College employee has filed a lawsuit against the school and a top executive, claiming she has been sexually harassed for more than five years and that her complaints have fallen on deaf ears.
The woman, a Burlington County resident, alleges in court papers that Joseph Claffey, vice president of college advancement, has leered at her, made inappropriate remarks and sent her suggestive texts with heart emojis.
The woman and Claffey both work at the public community college on Old Trenton Road in West Windsor, states the lawsuit, filed May 24 in Superior Court of Mercer County.
Claffey did not immediately respond on Monday to requests for comment. A Mercer County Community College spokesperson said the college had reviewed the lawsuit and that all allegations are being taken seriously.
“While we are not able to comment specifically on the suit, we have implemented and followed all college procedures, conducted an internal investigation and taken necessary actions to address the situation,” the spokesperson said in an email.
The woman who filed the lawsuit was hired in the mid-2000s to work at “The Classical Network,” which is the college-owned radio station WWFM 89.1. During her tenure, she was an excellent employee, the suit states.
In 2020, the college changed its organizational chart and Claffey became the woman’s direct supervisor, according to court papers.
Claffey allegedly then “used his position of authority and power to manipulate and to coerce plaintiff into a sexual relationship — all to fulfill his sexual fantasies and desires,” the lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit claims Claffey displayed a pattern of sexual harassment and discrimination that included bragging about his senior leadership position and making veiled threats to the woman’s career about what would happen if she did not submit to his advances.
The woman claims Claffey frequently leered at and ogled her, stood over her and stared down her shirt “into her cleavage,” smirked at her with “wide eyes filled with lust,” and undressed the woman with his eyes, the suit alleges.
“Defendant Claffey manufactured reasons to visit plaintiff at her desk, where he would strike up a conversation, leered at her, and commented on her appearance,” the lawsuit alleges.
He also referred to the woman as “sunshine” and “sweetheart,” according to the suit.
The woman claims she was denied a promotion so Claffey could “assert control, to make plaintiff feel indebted, and to reinforce that plaintiff’s career advancement was contingent upon her submission to his sexual advances,” the suit alleges.
On Feb. 22, the harassment allegedly turned physical when Claffey approached the woman at a radio station event, “pulled her in tight for an unwelcome hug, and then patted plaintiff’s buttocks three times.”
The lawsuit claims that after the woman reported the harassment to human resources staff, they issued a no-contact order between Claffey and the woman. But the order was impossible to enforce because Claffey remained on as the woman’s direct supervisor, the lawsuit alleges.
As human resources attempted to investigate the woman’s complaints, Claffey allegedly attempted to “derail the investigation,” by changing text-messaged heart emojis he had sent the woman to “like” or “thumbs-up” emojis, the lawsuit says.
“Defendant Claffey was clearly attempting to modify and/or destroy evidence of the sexual harassment,” the suit alleges.
“By changing the expression, defendant Claffey attempted to cover his tracks and make his responses appear less flirtatious and promiscuous due to the ongoing HR investigation,” the suit says.
On March 20, the woman broke down in tears and pleaded with an HR representative to terminate Claffey, telling them she was in a constant state of fear and anxiety over losing her job because of him.
“Still sobbing, plaintiff explained that she feels unsafe at work, cannot walk on campus alone, and is paralyzed by stress,” the suit states. “Plaintiff’s stress manifested into stomach pains, chest tightness, and dizziness.”
The lawsuit claims the HR department eventually confirmed the woman’s claims of sexual harassment but declined to tell her what remedial measures, if any, had been taken. Claffey continues to roam the campus and the woman says in the suit she continues to “suffer from emotional distress and financial harm.”
The lawsuit alleges a hostile work environment, sexual harassment, and discrimination due to gender or sex.
“Defendants did not conduct an adequate investigation and failed to take proper remedial action to protect plaintiff from discriminatory behavior and retaliation,” the lawsuit alleges.
The suit also states Mercer County Community College did not have an anti-harassment policy in place and did not properly train their supervisors and other employees on the subject of discrimination, harassment and retaliation.
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Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
