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Lawyer sues City for judge's alleged sexual harassment

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Posted 9:07 PM 6/7/2012 : Lawyer sues City for judge's alleged sexual harassment

TUCSON - The City is being sued for a judge's alleged sexual harassment.

The plaintiff was an Assistant Public Defender in Tucson City Court at the time of the alleged misbehavior.

The woman claims the City of Tucson knew about the judge's actions but did nothing.

Shortly after being promoted to her position in 2009, she was subjected to "pervasive and egregious sexual harassment on a daily basis," according to the complaint filed in federal court.

The City Court judge harassed her through emails, text messages, comments and physical conduct, according to the complaint.

The judge reminded her of his role in performance reviews and said denying his advances would be bad for her career, according to the complaint.

The plaintiff made it clear the sexual advances were not welcome, according to the complaint.

The judge retaliated in an open court, and the plaintiff was "publicly chastised, berated and humiliated," according to the complaint.

The Assistant Public Defender's damages included "pain and suffering, emotional distress, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life," according to the complaint.

She is demanding a trial by jury.

Tucson City Attorney, Mike Rankin, could not comment on the accusations, which is standard.

The taxpayers could be held accountable up to $3 million. Any amount more than that would be covered by insurance, according to Rankin.

The city has not decided if they will hire outside counsel, according to Rankin.

The plaintiff's attorneys did not return News 4 Tucson's phone calls.

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