FIREFIGHTER WINS $11.2 MILLION IN HARASSMENT FIGHT
Attorney: Verdict in suburban lawsuit could be among largest over Illinois Human Rights Act
The sexual harassment started on Dena Lewis-Bystrzycki’s first day on the job as a firefighter in Country Club Hills in 1998. She says it continued until she filed suit in 2012 and eventually went on leave in 2015.
On Monday, a Cook County jury awarded her $11.2 million for emotional and mental suffering and other damages after a trial over her lawsuit charging she was the victim of harassment, discrimination and retaliation. The verdict, her attorney Dana Kurtz said, could be among the largest ever awarded for violations of the Illinois Human Rights Act.
“I feel vindication,” she said Tuesday. “After 6½ years, when they said guilty of all counts, I finally took a breath.”
The lawsuit recounts, in graphic terms, how a former chief told her he wanted to engage in a sexual act with her on her first day on the job. Another employee allegedly threw a sex toy at her. The suit says employees would watch pornography at the fire station, expose themselves to her and make inappropriate romantic and physical advances toward her.
A judge is also scheduled to rule next week on whether to award additional relief, which Lewis and Kurtz hope could lead to a monitor being brought in to ensure the department adheres to sexual harassment policies and conducts trainings. Since she filed suit in 2012, there has been no additional sexual harassment training, Kurtz said.
“They need to be monitored,” Kurtz said. Though the verdict was a victory for LewisBystrzycki, she wants to see true accountability.
“I would like someone, somewhere within that city to be held responsible for their actions. I don’t care — pick one of the wrongdoings, pick the porn, the destruction of evidence, the retaliation, how they cornered and harassed me,” Lewis said. “There’s so many problems within that community.”
Country Club Hills officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The jury award includes $8 million for emotional and mental suffering, $1.85 million for future lost earnings, $2 million for reputational harm and loss of professional standing, $78,000 for denials of promotions and $50,000 for medical counseling.
“My career is over. It’s done. I’m being compensated for the wrongdoings that were done to me, and I’m beyond grateful,” LewisBystrzycki said.
After the hearing scheduled for Nov. 6, Lewis said she’ll take time away for a few months.
“There’s other women. I don’t have all the answers right now. When I can be left alone and not have contact with them, I finally get to heal,” she said.
“I WOULD LIKE SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE WITHIN THAT CITY TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS. I DON’T CARE — PICK ONE OF THE WRONGDOINGS, PICK THE PORN, THE DESTRUCTION OF EVIDENCE, THE RETALIATION, HOW THEY CORNERED AND HARASSED ME.” DENA LEWIS-BYSTRZYCKI