Harass claim vs. principal
Co-worker’s complaint
HE LOVED her. She loved him not. And now a spurned Brooklyn principal stands accused of harassing a colleague for two ugly years after she ended their affair.
Teacher Jordan Barnett, in an 18-page court filing, recounted the vile and vengeful antics of unrelenting Urban Action Academy Principal Steve Dorcely (photo left) once she dumped him for cheating.
“Despite plaintiff’s exemplary job performance, (Dorcely) targeted and callously discriminated against her on the basis of her gender and sexually harassed her relentlessly in the workplace,” the November lawsuit charged.
The oversexed Dorcely turned alternately vindictive and creepy, propositioning Barnett (photo right) at times while also accusing her of bogus disciplinary violations, the court papers charged.
In November 2016, the 36-year-old Barnett recounted Dorcely sneaking up behind her as she bent over to plug her cell phone into an outlet during a meeting.
“Put your butt on me,” she recounted the grinning principal whispering in her ear.
About a month later, Barnett was talking with another colleague about a breast cancer scare that left her with painful cysts due to stress.
“That’s because no one is sucking on your (breasts),” Barnett allegedly said after overhearing their chat.
Rumors abounded about the $161,000-a-year principal sleeping with “various staff members,” and Barnett alleged that Dorcely was sexually involved with another academy staffer.
The 17-year principal, who boasts a clean disciplinary record, made another unwanted advance on Barnett during a Dec. 12, 2016, lunch at a Brooklyn burger joint.
When Barnett turned Dorcely down, the principal snapped, “You’re going to regret the decision you made. Watch, you’ll see.”
“This guy’s using the school as his own personal dating service,” said Barnett’s lawyerJonathan Tand. “He harassed her, and when she finally had the courage to leave him, he retaliated.” Dorcely arranged for four investigations of Barnett in the last six months, his latest bits of payback against his ex-lover, the suit says. He embarrassed her in public, and gave Barnett unwarranted negative performance reviews.
She was “constantly targeted, ridiculed and criticized by Dorcely at every turn” during the spring 2017 semester — eventually landing Barnett in therapy, the court papers alleged.
The city Education Department declined to comment on the suit, and would not say if an internal investigation was underway.
The city Law Department will review the complaint and “respond accordingly,” according to spokesman Nick Paolucci.
The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of money, and names the city Department of Education as a co-defendant. THE OFT-IGNORED co-creator of the Caped Crusader emerged from the Batcave of history Friday as a hero.
A crowd of about 100 die-hard Batman fans celebrated at the dedication of Bill Finger Way, honoring the man who teamed up with comic book legend Bob Kane to invent the iconic Dark Knight.
“This is so exciting,” said Athena Finger, granddaughter of the revered if obscure collaborator in the Batman saga. “I really appreciate that the city does recognize the contributions Bill made.”
Finger was in up to his elbows when he and Kane conjured up the Batman for Detective Comics #27, where the cowled crimefighter debuted in May 1939.
But a clause in Kane’s contract insured that he received sole credit for developing Batman, leaving Finger to live in virtual anonymity until his 1974 death at age 59.
The unsung Finger, in fact, came up with the name Bruce Wayne for Batman’s alter-ego and helped develop arch-villians the Joker and Penguin.
The street naming was at the corner of E. 192nd St. and the Grand Concourse near Poe Park in the Bronx — where Finger would bounce ideas off Kane.
DC Comics finally acknowledged Finger’s role in the creation of the comic book, television and movie figure in 2015. Kane did so 25 years earlier in his autobiography.
“Bill Finger was a contributing force on Batman right from the beginning,” Kane wrote. Finger fanatic Scout Lundwall, 20, made her first trip to New York for the event, flying in with her mom from Saratoga Springs, Utah.
“My high school senior research paper was on Bill Finger,” she said. “I’ve just always loved Batman.”