“We cannot and will not tolerate what appears to be a pervasive culture of sexual harassment that is also costing taxpayers millions of dollars. My colleagues and I will work with our new governor to ensure this kind of inappropriate behavior is not allowed within any part of our state government.”The House minority leader, Rep. Gail McCann Beatty (D-Kansas City) also told the paper that Richardson should appoint “a special investigative committee to determine the full extent of the problem, hold department leaders accountable and recommend corrective action.”
Johnson said that the Missouri Attorney General’s office, saddled with defending the Department of Corrections in every such lawsuit, has mishandled the escalating number of cases in which large damages have been awarded.A spokesman for Attorney General Chris Koster declined comment to the Post-Dispatch. Governor Jay Nixon told the paper he was not prepared to speak on the matter either, saying he was "just not aware of the specifics."
“These giant judgments are simply because the AG’s office didn’t come to the DOC and say, ‘What are you guys doing? Why are we having all these cases?’ ” Johnson says. “They have a big pot of money [in the general fund] to defend themselves. As long as it doesn’t come out of the DOC budget, why should the DOC care?”
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