Cal State Fullerton Settles Another Employee Suit

A 60-year-old woman who worked most of her adult life at Cal State Fullerton has settled her harassment suit against the university.

Kathy Morris’ case was settled Tuesday, the day it was scheduled for trial in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Morris’ attorney, Keith Walden, valued the settlement at $175,000, which includes payments to him and Morris, back pay, retirement and other benefits. Dawn Theodora, an attorney for the Cal State system, valued the deal at $38,000, not including the retirement costs.

As part of the settlement, Morris will retire Aug. 31.

Morris, who worked in a technology lab, charged that she was working in a hostile environment and was harassed because of her gender, age and ethnicity. She said, among other things, that a co-worker called her derogatory names and that her complaints were unheeded.

Cal State Fullerton has lost or settled a number of employee lawsuits in recent years, costing the state about $1.5 million.

Last year, the Cal State system paid six current or former Fullerton employees a total of $200,000 to settle a lawsuit that alleged they were discriminated against because they are Latino.

In another case, Pamela Losco was paid $447,000 to settle her sexual harassment case against the campus and the then-director of the student health center. Her assistant received $100,000.

Losco’s brother was paid $457,000 to settle his suit, in which he alleged he was demoted as personnel director because the university thought he had helped his sister and had given information to an auditor about financial improprieties by campus officials.

In 2001, assistant biology professor Sandra Banack and her attorney were awarded $311,000 for her sexual harassment suit.

“They run that place with an iron hand in a way that doesn’t comport with current notions of civil rights and fair employment,” Walden said.