East Haven Town Hall secretary accuses mayor of sexual harassment Mayor says Town Hall secretary is disgruntled employee about to be fired

Maturo Maturo Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close East Haven Town Hall secretary accuses mayor of sexual harassment 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

EAST HAVEN >> A Town Hall secretary has filed a sexual harassment complaint with the state Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, alleging Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr. subjected her to a “hostile environment based on my sex,” including naming one incident in which the mayor allegedly exposed himself to her.

“On or about Oct. 24 or 25, 2013, Mayor Maturo entered my office while I was bending down filing documents in a filing cabinet,” the complaint states. “He came up behind me and said, ‘while you’re down there ...,’ I turned and saw that he had his penis out and near my face. I screamed. Witnesses were nearby.”

Maturo responded to the allegations in a written statement released through his spokesman, Frank Gentilesco. Maturo named the worker who lodged the complaint, but the Register has declined to name her out of respect for her status as an alleged victim.

Maturo called the complaint “salacious” and said it was full of “patently false allegations” and described his accuser as a “disgruntled employee who was on the verge of being terminated.”

The secretary’s attorney, John R. Williams of East Haven, said Thursday the state should treat his client’s complaint seriously. He also pointed out that his client’s complaint alleges that Police Chief Brent Larrabee once told Maturo in front of witnesses that some his actions constituted sexual harassment.

Larrabee could not immediately be reached for comment.

Williams added that his client does not plan on pursuing criminal charges against Maturo.

The secretary stated in the complaint that her office is located directly across from the mayor’s office and noted that she has “continual daily contact” with him.

The complaint alleges that Maturo subjected the alleged victim “to a pattern of continual sexual harassment” throughout his entire time as mayor. The secretary claims Maturo “continually makes comments about my breasts” and posed questions such as, ‘Seriously, how much do those weigh?’

“He made such a comment just days before my last day before leaving work on (Family Medical Leave Act) leave on May 5, 2014,” she states in the complaint.

On Thursday morning, several sources inside Town Hall said the mayor was potentially facing a sexual harassment claim. Asked about the allegations later that day, Town Attorney Joseph Zullo said to expect a news release from the mayor’s office. Roughly 15 minutes later, Gentilesco emailed the mayor’s statement, along with a copy of the complaint, indicating that Maturo would not be commenting any further on the matter.

CHRO records show that the secretary filed the complaint on July 14. It was delivered to the town on July 28.

Maturo stated in his release that he’s “confident” that, as the legal process unfolds, “further investigation will prove all of (the secretary’s) allegations to be both unmerited and false.”

He described the complaint as “antagonistic litigation,” but added he “will respect this legal process and defer any further legal comments to the attorneys handling this matter on behalf of the town.”

Sources close to the matter said attorneys also will review a series of texts and voicemails left by Maturo on the secretary’s cellphone. Williams confirmed the investigation of texts and voicemails but said the issue is not related to sexual harassment but rather the secretary’s claim that Maturo was “constantly urging” her to return to work.

“She was on FMLA leave,” Williams said. “He (Maturo) knew that and kept demanding her to return.”

Sources close to the secretary said she took leave to tend to her daughter, who was injured May 2 in a motor vehicle incident in which she was tossed from a moving car.

Williams added that his client struggled with the decision to bring her complaint forward.

“She was concerned that coming out could ruin her life,” he said.

The town has 30 days dating back to July 28 to file a written answer to the complaint. The complaint formally charges Maturo with violating the U.S. Civil Rights Act and two state statutes related to discriminatory practices.

Maturo added in his response that he will not allow the matter to distract his office from managing the town.

“Our team has worked hard to provide residents with efficient, accountable and reliable government and will continue to do so,” he stated.

The complaint indicates that the secretary started her job in January 1997. Maturo won his first mayoral race later that year, serving until a 2007 loss but later returning to the town’s top post after a 2011 victory and was re-elected in 2013. He attracted some bad publicity in January 2012, when a New York television reporter asked him on camera what he planned on doing that night for the town’s Hispanic community, after four police officers were charged by the U.S. Department of Justice in connectio with civil rights abuses against Latinos.

“I may go home and have tacos for dinner, I’m not quite sure,” was Maturo’s response. He later issued an apology.

Read the redacted version of the complaint here.

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