COLUMBUS, Ohio -- State officials agreed to a settlement Wednesday with two women who made sexual harassment allegations last year against the Ohio Attorney General's office.
According to the attorney general's office, Cindy Stankoski and Vanessa Stout will receive $247,500 each as part of the settlement, which includes attorney fees.
Rex Elliott, the attorney for the women, will receive $95,000 after lowering his legal fee. He said Wednesday that the settlement figure would have escalated considerably if the issue had moved to a trial.
Under the terms of the settlement, Stankoski resigned her position, joining Stout, who left her position in December and has since moved from Central Ohio.
"What the attorney general's office is telling everybody is that coming forward is a commendable thing and you're not going to be banished to the dark recesses of the office if you come forward with unlawful conduct," Elliott said.
Attorney General Richard Cordray's office would not agree to an interview, but released a statement saying, in part, "Today, we agreed to put to rest a series of events that was unbecoming of the leadership of the attorney general's office and difficult for the two women who showed courage in turning a spotlight upon it."
"Marc Dann ought to feel even worse for what he's done because taxpayers are going to foot this bill. Frankly, he's the one who should be footing it. I think the lesson learned here though, is these are very important positions that need to be filled by responsible people," Elliott said.
The scandal began in early April, when Stankoski and Stout claimed they were sexually harassed by Anthony Gutierrez, the then-director of general services for the Attorney General's office. Gutierrez and then-director of communications Leo Jennings were placed on leave during the internal investigation. But on May 2, 2008, the results of the investigation were released, resulting in the termination of Gutierrez and Jennings.
As a result of the investigation and allegations, former Attorney General Marc Dann resigned on May 14, 2008.
Ed Simpson, chief of Policy and Administration, and Dann's scheduler, Jessica Utovich, also resigned.
During a news conference regarding the investigation's findings, Dann admitted to having a romantic relationship with a member of his staff during what he called a rough time in his marriage.
Dann e-mailed a statement to local media Wednesday night: "While I am sympathetic to the challenges that these women faced, in my view the facts do not support a payout of this magnitude."
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