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October 30, 2006
Her side of the story
Here in Kansas, the race for Attorney General has been a pretty hot one. There is a lot of political intrigue and backstabbing going on. When things like this happen, it gets so people do not know who is telling the truth.
You see, in response to a comment from Paul Morrison that he has no scandal in his past, Phil Klein mentioned a sexual harrassment lawsuit that was filed against Paul Morrison by a former employee some years ago when he was the Johnson County prosecuter in Olathe, Kansas. Well, Paul Morrison has accussed Mr. Klein of being sleazy, etc., by bringing this up. Both parties agreed to end the lawsuit for reasons of their own.
The Kansas City Star has a fairly balanced article about the bruhaha here.
I wanted to publish the statement of the woman who still stands behind her assertion that Paul Morrison sexually harrassed her. (Morrison claims he just said she looked attractive). So I asked Kelly Summerlin's attorney, Scott G. Hattrup, and have permission to publish this in full:
Scott G. Hattrup Attorney at Law 11925 W. 92nd Terrace Lenexa, KS 66215 (913) 492-8812 phone/ (913) 492-8836 fax SHattrup@aol.com The following is a press release from my client, Kelly Summerlin. . Please direct all further questions through my office and do not contact my client directly.
STATEMENT OF KELLY SUMMERLIN Because of recent false and misleading statements made by Paul Morrison, I have prepared this statement.
I was fully aware, back in 1991, when I first filed cases against Paul Morrison, that they would become a matter of public record. And that anyone, at anytime, could access and review this information. My family and I put a great deal of thought into the seriousness of this matter. I sincerely considered the fact that Mr. Morrison was a powerful and prominent person with a great deal of influence.
Although I did not personally give permission to Mr. Phill Kline to release the court documents, that was not my call to make. It was all public record. I also accept that Paul Morrison could have done the same at any time.
Mr. Kline’s references to these lawsuits have been accurate, to my understanding. On the other hand, Mr. Morrison has provided misleading and false information. I believe it is important for me to attempt to set the record straight. The public will make its own determinations. I do this for myself, my family and for anyone who has ever been in my shoes and was afraid to speak out. It was not easy then and it is not easy now. Make no mistake, what I said was true fifteen years ago and is still true today.
In 1985, I was hired by Dennis Moore, the Johnson County District Attorney, to work as a Victim/Witness Assistant. After Mr. Morrison was elected as the District Attorney, he promoted me to Coordinator of the Victim/Witness Assistance Unit. In that position I participated as a part of the prosecution team in one our office’s most significant cases involving a serial murderer. My role was to advocate and support the surviving family members. Mr. Morrison presented a select number of people with a personal award plaque recognizing their contribution in this important case; I was one of those.
On the evening of the verdict, November 4, 1990, Mr. Morrison personally invited me to a victory party at a local bar, along with other key participants. I attended, and during the course of the evening, Mr. Morrison did not simply “compliment me” by saying I was attractive, as he claims. His actions and words were much more aggressive.
Mr. Morrison approached me and told me he was uncomfortable. I asked him why and he responded by propositioning me. He then pressured me to respond by asking, “What are we going to do about that?” I was stunned. I rejected his advances and felt like all of my hard work, commitment, and dedication had been reduced to nothing.
The following day Mr. Morrison pulled me aside at work and blamed his comments and actions the night before on the alcohol. I simply acknowledged his statement. I wanted this to go away. It didn’t. Over the course of the next few weeks and months, my job description was changed, my responsibilities were reduced, I was moved out of my office, my computer was taken away, and Mr. Morrison denied me the opportunity to work with victims. The working environment was increasingly hostile and unforgiving. After five years of service, on February 12, 1991, Paul Morrison gave me the option to resign quietly and receive my vacation and sick leave benefits or be terminated and lose all benefits. He gave me a week to consider my options. I decided to fight.
I learned that Mr. Morrison was very skillful at re-arranging facts to fit a version that would be most favorable to him. He is a skilled attorney. He continues to minimize his actions and behavior and put all blame on me. He has used his power and position to control and intimidate. The second most difficult and painful experience of my life was standing up to Mr. Morrison.
The first would have to be the effort by my husband and I to have a family. During this time in 1991, my husband and I were seeking to adopt our first child. Even though I was no longer employed in his office, I learned that Mr. Morrison had spoken with the birth- grandparents of the child we were seeking to adopt. I was stunned and felt violated again. There was NO reason for any conversation regarding our private adoption to have ever taken place by Mr. Morrison. He was the District Attorney and I was a private citizen.
I fought for more than two years. I followed the legal process by first filing an EEOC complaint. I was required to wait for the outcome of the EEOC case before filing a civil sexual harassment lawsuit. I also filed a separate due process case. During that time I was repeatedly attacked and belittled by Mr. Morrison and his attorneys.
The due process case was dismissed by the judge before the jury could deliberate. Review of court records show the judge stating that the case was "difficult and not clear cut.” Mr. Morrison had asked the judge to declare the lawsuit as “frivolous, unreasonable and brought in bad faith,” in seeking to have me pay his attorney fees; the judge did not agree with Mr. Morrison.
My case for sexual harassment was never thrown out of court by a judge. Mr. Morrison’s recent statement implying that the case had no merit is a misstatement of the truth. As an attorney, he is certain to comprehend the difference in the cases; however, his public comments are misleading and deceitful. Court documents reflect that the judge concluded that in pursuing the sexual harassment charges that, “a reasonable person could find in favor of either party.” Only a jury could make the final decision. Not Mr. Morrison.
As the sexual harassment trial was approaching, more than two years after the initial incident, Mr. Morrison’s tactics had taken their toll. I needed to move forward and pursue a career that utilized my strengths and talents and had decided to apply to nursing school. This was a very competitive process and required all of our emotional and financial resources. We were not willing to risk the possibility of Mr. Morrison again becoming involved in our personal life goals. After much consideration for what was best for our family, my husband and I decided to settle the case. There were no strings attached and no money exchanged hands.
Mr. Morrison is now publicly claiming that there was some sort of side agreement; we would dismiss the sexual harassment case if he “agreed not to go after them (us).” Once again, the facts will bear that there was no such agreement. There was no deal. Mr. Morrison has been free to file any counterclaim alleging defamation of character or slander. He chose not to.
I have never recanted my statements. What I said was true fifteen years ago and remains the truth today. I appreciate the opportunity to publicly respond to the recent events.Kelly Summerlin
So, it seems to me that Paul Morrison is not exactly being truthful about this. I have to wonder if he will uphold sexual harrassment laws as the Attorney General of Kansas, and if he would be likely to fire women who do not care for any unwelcome advances.
I was a victim of sexual harrassment back in the '80s. I worked at the OakPark Mall Krigel's jewelry store, and the manager of that store man-handled all of us.
He would swat me on the behind in front of customers or in the backroom and think it was funny. I asked him to stop, and he didn't. So I went to the owners of the chain, Mr. and Mrs. Krigel. They pretty much said that since the manager was such a great salemen, they were not going to do anything to upset him.
So I got moved to the lowest volume store in the chain - at Metro North Mall, and got a huge cut in my commissions.
UPDATE: I forgot to thank Jim C. for sending me this info - Thanks, Jim!
Posted by Beth at October 30, 2006 03:33 PM