The Metropolis of Boston agreed to pay $1 million to settle a six-year-old sexual harassment lawsuit towards town’s former well being chief Felix G. Arroyo, an quantity that may finally be borne by taxpayers.
Hilani Morales formally dropped her claims towards her former supervisor Arroyo and town, “with prejudice,” per the phrases of a settlement settlement signed by each Morales and a metropolis legal professional, and reviewed by the Herald on Friday.
Morales continues to disclaim any legal responsibility to Arroyo, and town continues to disclaim any legal responsibility to Morales, per the settlement settlement.
“The city has come to a mutually agreeable settlement for this case that dates back to 2017 under a prior administration,” a metropolis spokesperson stated in an announcement. “Through this settlement, the city avoids substantial additional costs from further litigation.”
Morales had alleged in her lawsuit that she was sexually harassed by Arroyo, and that town had retaliated towards her with a demotion after she complained. She will likely be paid $644,000 for “alleged emotional distress damages,” whereas the legislation agency that represented her will obtain $356,000 to cowl the price of her attorneys’ charges, per the settlement settlement.
The phrases of the settlement had been first reported by the Boston Globe.
John Tocci, a companion with Tocci & Lee, LLC, confirmed in a Friday assertion that his consumer had signed the settlement, thereby accepting its phrases. He has declined to say why Morales selected to drop her lawsuit.
“It was very heartening for my client to hear so many prospective jurors testify that they understood that it takes courage for a woman to come forward with allegations of sexual harassment, and that they should be believed,” Tocci stated. “It was also heartening for her to know that she was not alone, and to know that there are a lot of people in society supporting her.
“She certainly feels vindicated and is looking forward to moving on with her life.”
The high-profile case was dismissed on the morning it was set to go to trial in Suffolk Superior Court docket this previous Might, after town reached a last-minute settlement with Morales.
The trial was anticipated to characteristic testimony from heavy-hitters in Boston’s political and authorized circles, together with then-Mayor Marty Walsh, who fired Arroyo after an inner investigation, Walsh’s former chief of workers Daniel Koh and federal senior Choose Mark Wolf.
Arroyo has denied the harassment claims and filed a counterclaim towards Morales for defamation, which has not been resolved thus far, shouldn’t be topic to the settlement settlement, and is scheduled to go to trial in June 2025. Arroyo has said that he by no means harassed Morales and that she was a nasty worker.
The case derailed Arroyo’s once-promising political profession, and is amongst a sequence of scandals which have plagued his well-known political household lately.
Arroyo is a former metropolis councilor who ran for mayor in 2013. His authorized staff featured his brother, Ricardo Arroyo, a former metropolis councilor who was defeated in final fall’s election cycle after a string of scandals that included being slapped with a $3,000 ethics high-quality for persevering with to signify his brother legally in that case after becoming a member of the Metropolis Council.
His father, Felix D. Arroyo, can be recognized for being a former metropolis councilor, College Committee member and Suffolk registrar of probate and household court docket. The household patriarch filed for chapter earlier this 12 months, amid a lawsuit over an $86,379 unpaid authorized invoice tied to his previous suspension as register of probate.
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