Settlement reached in sexual harassment suit against ex-Merced City Schools superintendent
A settlement agreement has been reached in a sexual harassment civil lawsuit filed against former Merced City School District superintendent Richard Alan “Al” Rogers and the district.
Shelley Bryant, the attorney representing the female district administrator who filed the lawsuit in March, confirmed the development to the Sun-Star.
Bryant, who works for Fresno-based law firm Bryant Whitten, did not reveal the terms or details of the settlement.
The Sun-Star has a policy of not identifying alleged victims of sexual harassment, and is not identifying the plaintiff.
The district placed Rogers on leave back in March while they launched an investigation into the allegations earlier this year.
Rogers, who was the replacement for longtime superintendent RoseMary Parga Duran, had barely been in his position for a year before the accusations came to light.
In his previous conversations with the Sun-Star, Rogers has steadfastly denied the allegations.
The employee filed the lawsuit on March 8 after saying she experienced abusive behavior in the workplace at the hands of Rogers.
According to the lawsuit, Rogers verbally abused the employee, made unwanted sexual advances, took her back to his house to work from home and screamed at her over the phone, among other inappropriate behavior.
The suit also alleged Rogers “attempted to rape” the employee, although the document does not go into specifics about that alleged incident.
No permanent district leader hired
Rogers and the Merced City School Board finalized a resignation agreement in June with an effective resignation date of July 1 to escape “further board action, including issuance of charges that he engaged in serious misconduct based on the investigation finding.”
The agreement resulted in a $15,000 payout to Rogers, as well as removed any further potential litigation between the district and Rogers.
Doug Collins, formerly the deputy superintendent, has served as interim superintendent in the days since Rogers resigned.
According to Cici Winiger, communications director for the district, the school board is no closer to hiring a permanent superintendent.
“They haven’t started talking about it,” Winiger said. “If they’re planning to do something, it would have to be discussed at a board meeting.”
The next Merced City School Board meeting is on Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. in the STEAM Center, located at 2900 Green St. in Merced, right next to Ada Givens Elementary School.