In a lawsuit filed Friday, a former executive assistant to Alaska gubernatorial candidate Charlie Pierce said he sexually harassed her when he was Kenai Peninsula Borough mayor.
The lawsuit by Wastell says the Kenai Peninsula Borough failed to protect employees from a pattern of harassment.
It marks at least the third time the borough has faced legal fees or settlements over complaints involving Pierce.Those settlements did not involve sexual harassment, although Friday’s lawsuit suggests that if the new case goes to trial, additional borough employees might be called to testify about alleged sexual harassment by Pierce.
After being largely absent from the campaign trail since the August primary, Pierce has been actively campaigning in recent days, including an appearance inWastell refused an interview request through her attorney, Caitlin Shortell. Neither Shortell nor the Kenai Peninsula Borough attorney would say how much the borough offered Wastell in any proposed settlements.