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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Thursday, March 22, 2001



$612,000 settlement urged in HPD lawsuit

By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser City Hall Writer

The Honolulu City Council yesterday recommended the city pay $612,000 to settle police outreach worker Sharon Black's long-standing sexual harassment lawsuits against Honolulu Police Department officials.

Black, a civilian worker, says she was sexually harassed by former Assistant Police Chief Joseph Aveiro Jr. and that other high-ranking police officials failed to discipline him. The Council's Policy Committee discussed the matter in closed-door executive session yesterday.

Afterward, Council Chairman Jon Yoshimura said he believes 80 percent of the money Black would obtain in the settlement would go to attorneys representing her now and in the past. He said he thinks that Black would get less money than she would have gotten if she had settled the case four years ago, before proceeding with a lawsuit.

Yoshimura said the city has spent about $500,000 in public money to hire private attorneys to defend various police officials in this case.

Black said she is waiting to hear from her attorneys before commenting.

Yoshimura said it is in the best interest of taxpayers to settle now. "The city would have expended a lot more money to take this to trial and to pay the judgment," he said.

In 1997, the City Council rejected a $1.25 million settlement offer from Black, who then turned down the council's $500,000 counter-offer. The case is scheduled to go to trial in May.