Fire Law Blog Fire Service and Public Safety Legal Issues Blog by Curt Varone
A woman who claims she was sexually harassed by the fire chief of the Bakersfield Fire Department while both were employed by the city in 2017-2018, has filed suit against the city and the chief. The woman identified only as Jane Doe claims that former Fire Chief Douglas Greener began harassing her in the fall of 2017.
At the time Doe was employed as an accounting clerk for the department. She claims the harassment escalated in December 2017 prompting her to report it for the first time. She reported it a second time in March, 2018, which resulted in the initiation of a Human Resources investigation and her reassignment to HR.
In May, Doe learned that HR was considering transferring her back to the fire department, prompting her to go to her doctor who put her off on disability. She resigned last month. Chief Greener retired on June 30, 2018.
The suit was filed on February 4, 2019 in Kern County Superior Court. A copy of the complaint is not available.
