Houston Chronicle
She alleges years of harassment and sexist retaliation
Jane Draycott appears at a 2009 news conference. Draycott's attorney is representing several other female Houston firefighters.
A female Houston firefighter who found threatening sexist and racist slurs in her quarters at a fire station last year sued the city Tuesday, alleging she has endured years of sexual harassment and faced retaliation when she complained.
The lawsuit, filed in Harris County state district court, lists numerous allegations of harassment against Jane Draycott leading up to the graffiti incident last July, including at least one instance of unwanted sexual advances that went unpunished.
“When this thing first happened, she had no thoughts about filing a lawsuit,” said her sexual harassment attorney, Joe Ahmad. “She wanted to give the city and the fire department every opportunity to remedy the situation without the filing of the lawsuit.”
Ahmad said Draycott was severely mistreated in a botched “team-building” exercise that took place when she tried to return to work at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport station in January. After that, he said, her only avenue was the lawsuit.
The city's response to the incident, including an inconclusive investigation, the “team-building” exercise and a subsequent outside probe into HFD culture, have roiled the fire department. Former Chief Phil Boriskie abruptly resigned his post, returning to a district chief's position, shortly after Mayor Annise Parker criticized the handling of Draycott's return.
HFD spokesman Patrick Trahan said the suit will move the city “forward.”
“Firefighter Draycott has now enumerated her complaints,” Trahan said. “They can be addressed on their merits in the civil process.”
He declined comment on the individual allegations in the suit.
The lawsuit, filed in Harris County state district court, lists numerous allegations of harassment against Jane Draycott leading up to the graffiti incident last July, including at least one instance of unwanted sexual advances that went unpunished.
“When this thing first happened, she had no thoughts about filing a lawsuit,” said her sexual harassment attorney, Joe Ahmad. “She wanted to give the city and the fire department every opportunity to remedy the situation without the filing of the lawsuit.”
Ahmad said Draycott was severely mistreated in a botched “team-building” exercise that took place when she tried to return to work at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport station in January. After that, he said, her only avenue was the lawsuit.
The city's response to the incident, including an inconclusive investigation, the “team-building” exercise and a subsequent outside probe into HFD culture, have roiled the fire department. Former Chief Phil Boriskie abruptly resigned his post, returning to a district chief's position, shortly after Mayor Annise Parker criticized the handling of Draycott's return.
HFD spokesman Patrick Trahan said the suit will move the city “forward.”
“Firefighter Draycott has now enumerated her complaints,” Trahan said. “They can be addressed on their merits in the civil process.”
He declined comment on the individual allegations in the suit.
Pattern alleged
The lawsuit details more than 60 allegations of harassment or discrimination, including:
• • An incident in 2000 in which a male firefighter “grabbed her from behind and rubbed up against her,” climbed into Draycott's bed and made “sexually suggestive comments.” She later was ordered by a supervisor to file a formal complaint, beginning a process in which she was ostracized for years for reporting a comrade;
• • Two incidents in 2007, in which she found pictures of her children, including that of a daughter who had died in a car accident, had been removed from her locker, torn up and placed in the trash;
• • Several instances in 2008 when she was unfairly passed over for overtime shifts that she was qualified to work, shifts that were given to men;
• • A pattern of alleged harassment, previously reported in the Houston Chronicle, at Station 54 in the six months before the graffiti incident, including one time when the cold water was turned off in the women's showers and another in which a firecracker was rigged to explode when a stall was opened in the women's restroom.
The lawsuit details more than 60 allegations of harassment or discrimination, including:
• • An incident in 2000 in which a male firefighter “grabbed her from behind and rubbed up against her,” climbed into Draycott's bed and made “sexually suggestive comments.” She later was ordered by a supervisor to file a formal complaint, beginning a process in which she was ostracized for years for reporting a comrade;
• • Two incidents in 2007, in which she found pictures of her children, including that of a daughter who had died in a car accident, had been removed from her locker, torn up and placed in the trash;
• • Several instances in 2008 when she was unfairly passed over for overtime shifts that she was qualified to work, shifts that were given to men;
• • A pattern of alleged harassment, previously reported in the Houston Chronicle, at Station 54 in the six months before the graffiti incident, including one time when the cold water was turned off in the women's showers and another in which a firecracker was rigged to explode when a stall was opened in the women's restroom.
Mayor responds
The suit brought by Draycott's attornies also faults the city's investigation of the graffiti incident, alleging that not everyone who had access to the vandalized areas was interviewed and that the probe focused solely on her.
An Office of Inspector General Investigation into the July 7 graffiti incident concluded last month, substantiating the allegations but finding no suspects.
Mayor Parker said in a statement that Draycott, who has been on leave except for two brief interludes in the past nine months, is scheduled to return to Fire Station 54, where the vandalism occurred, on Monday.
“I plan to do everything in my power to ensure that we provide a safe, respectful and welcoming work environment for all firefighters,” the mayor said. “There is at least one firefighter who knows what happened, but there have been firefighters who have been unfairly tainted as a result of this event. We need to focus our attention on firefighters who work every day to keep Houstonians, and their homes, safe.”
Ahmad said Draycott's return was not a certainty, as he continues to have a number of concerns he wants to discuss with the city first. Those include whether he will be allowed to be present and whether firefighters who participated in the “team-building” exercise in January and urged Draycott to leave the station will be working with her.
The suit brought by Draycott's attornies also faults the city's investigation of the graffiti incident, alleging that not everyone who had access to the vandalized areas was interviewed and that the probe focused solely on her.
An Office of Inspector General Investigation into the July 7 graffiti incident concluded last month, substantiating the allegations but finding no suspects.
Mayor Parker said in a statement that Draycott, who has been on leave except for two brief interludes in the past nine months, is scheduled to return to Fire Station 54, where the vandalism occurred, on Monday.
“I plan to do everything in my power to ensure that we provide a safe, respectful and welcoming work environment for all firefighters,” the mayor said. “There is at least one firefighter who knows what happened, but there have been firefighters who have been unfairly tainted as a result of this event. We need to focus our attention on firefighters who work every day to keep Houstonians, and their homes, safe.”
Ahmad said Draycott's return was not a certainty, as he continues to have a number of concerns he wants to discuss with the city first. Those include whether he will be allowed to be present and whether firefighters who participated in the “team-building” exercise in January and urged Draycott to leave the station will be working with her.
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