Two women have filed complaints against the city of Gainesville for sexual discrimination in the workplace.
The complaints could lead to lawsuits if investigations by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission find them to be justifiable.
Cpl. Paris Owens of the Gainesville Police Department filed a complaint charging that she was sexually harassed by a superior between January and June of 2007.
The second complaint was made by Megan Grant, a former customer representative at Gainesville Regional Utilities.
Grant wrote in her complaint that her request to work from home was denied when her doctor placed her on bed rest in May 2007 for a high-risk pregnancy.
She was also not allowed to take personal sick leave, she wrote.
Both women charged they were discriminated against based on sex, violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The complaints were filed with the EEOC district office in Miami, which will look into the charges.
The city received notice of Owens' complaint Feb. 8 and Grant's Feb. 12.
City attorneys were authorized Monday to represent the city in any legal action.
The city has until March 5 to respond to Owens' complaint and March 10 to respond to Grant's.
In Owens' case, the city was also given the opportunity to resolve the complaint through the EEOC's mediation service. The EEOC will take the city's response and any supporting evidence
into consideration while conducting the investigations.
Elizabeth Waratuke, the city's litigation attorney, said the city had not yet decided how to respond. Sexual discrimination complaints have been made before, Waratuke said, but are a rare occurrence.
"It doesn't happen every day; it doesn't happen every week; it doesn't happen every month; it doesn't happen every couple of months," she said. "But it does happen."
Spokesmen for GPD and GRU said they had not been informed of any complaints.
Both Owens and Grant declined to comment.
