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Whatcom County paid $225K to settle sexual harassment complaints

Multiple women accused public works director of inappropriate conduct

Handwritten notes from Whatcom HR representatives recorded instances where female employees said former Public Works director Jon Hutchings made sexual comments or touched them inappropriately. County leaders never disciplined Hutchings, and quietly helped him get a new job. They paid $225,000 to settle claims by one female employee who said Hutchings harassed her with daily text messages for over two years. (Illustration by Genna Martin/Cascade PBS)
By Brandon Block Crosscut.com
Whatcom County officials paid $225,000 last November to settle claims that a former Public Works dir

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