Kansas Dem Andrea Ramsey, accused of sexual harassment, will drop out of U.S. House race

[Swordsmyth]

Andrea Ramsey, a Democratic candidate for Congress, will drop out of the race after the Kansas City Star asked her about accusations in a 2005 lawsuit that she sexually harassed and retaliated against a male subordinate who said he had rejected her advances. Multiple sources with knowledge of the case told The Star that the man reached a settlement with LabOne, the company where Ramsey was executive vice president of human resources. Court documents show that the man, Gary Funkhouser, and LabOne agreed to dismiss the case permanently after mediation in 2006. Ramsey, a 56-year-old retired business executive from Leawood, was one of the Democratic candidates vying to challenge Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder in 2018 in Kansas’ 3rd District.

More at: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article189931779.html

[Weston White]

“In its rush to claim the high ground in our roiling national conversation about harassment, the Democratic Party has implemented a zero tolerance standard,” Ramsey said in a statement Friday. “For me, that means a vindictive, terminated employee’s false allegations are enough for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) to decide not to support our promising campaign. We are in a national moment where rough justice stands in place of careful analysis, nuance and due process.”

Well, at this rate they are going to be a literal ghost party. ...Just the way God intended.

[Intoxiklown]

From the posted article:

Ramsey repeatedly said that she was not aware of any settlement in the case, but said that if she had been a party to the case she would have opposed settling.

“Had those allegations, those false allegations, been brought against me directly instead of the company I would have fought to exonerate my name. I never would’ve settled,” Ramsey said in an interview on Thursday. “And I would have sued the disgruntled, vindictive employee for defamation.”


LOL

That is complete and utter horse shit. I would normally allow benefit of the doubt to the person accused, but the above statement explains what happened.

Ask anyone working in a salaried management position what the accepted protocol is within a company should one of your management group be accused of sexual harassment. For those who've never "gotten the talk" from your VP of OPs and HR manager....let me break down that conversation for you:

"NEVER allow yourself to be put in a position with an employee where you don't have someone you can point to as a witness to events and conversation. Assume that everyone you talk to will happily lie about you to seek retaliation from both you and the company and profit from it as well. Understand....if accused and there is no third party to act as witness on your behalf, then regardless of how implausible you will be fired with cause, and a settlement reached with the accuser. It is cheaper to fire and replace you then to litigate in court and risk huge financial findings."

That is life in corporate management, and why I know she is lying. The simple fact she was able to retire from that employer while in the middle of litigation in federal court regarding sexual harassment and retaliatory behavior charges shows someone above her was doing her a favor, because everywhere else in the world she'd have been thrown to the sharks. And to think an Exec of HR wouldn't have a clue about such litigation is absolutely laughable.

It's kind of obvious there was a coverup involving several people to keep this case quiet as LabOne was neck deep in negotiating their acquisition by Quest Diagnostics, and having your executive of HR on the wrong end of a harassment suit in federal court doesn't help that cause.