News Notes: County Can Be Liable for Harassment Even After Being Dismissed from Lawsuit

The County of Fresno was dismissed from a sexual harassment lawsuit after it contended that the alleged harasser’s conduct fell outside the scope of his employment. The victim and harasser subsequently entered into a stipulated judgment for $16,000—and then the victim turned around and sued the county for the $16,000 after the harasser assigned the victim his right to seek indemnification from the county. A California appeals court said the lawsuit could go forward based on a law permitting a public employee to seek indemnification from an employer that has refused to provide a defense—and the county’s dismissal from the original lawsuit didn’t bar the harasser from seeking indemnification or assigning his right to do so.