Berkeley University Fines Swimming Coach for Harassing a Male Employee

Todd Mulzet who is the diving coach for the University of California Berkeley has been fined $455.30 for sexually harassing another employee. According to reports by usatoday.com the harassment had continued for a year and a half. Documents released by the school also indicate that the fine was slapped in lieu of suspension.

The Violation and Resultant Penalties

The report provided by the school stated that Mulzet who coached both the men and women diving teams created a hostile work environment for the employee by making sexual comments and touching him inappropriately. The school authorities asserted that this behavior is in violation of schools code on sexual harassment.

This person tolerated that? The fine was only $455.30? The school penalized the coach by imposing a salary reduction by 5% for the months of January and February respectively. The coach must attend training program for sexual harassment. He was not fired?

The punishments were served in the form of a formalized disciplinary letter. Sexual harassment lawyers point out that it is essential for employers to take the appropriate action following a harassment complaint or they could be held liable in a lawsuit.

Claims made by the Victim and Coach’s Reaction

The employee, whose name has not been disclosed, divulged in his complaint that he was required to interact with the coach because he worked at the aquatic center. In his complaint dated August 18^th the victim alleges that the coach had been harassing him for 18 months and that he had propositioned him in front of his students a number of times. Mulzet allegedly offered the employee $300 for oral sex. Depending on the facts, this could be a classic case of quid pro quo harassment according to sexual harassment lawyers.

On another occasion when the employee was bending over, Mulzet approached the employee from behind placing his knee on his back, commenting that he liked him in that particular posture.

The coach tried to prove that the claimant is merely retaliating and none of the allegations were true. But the school authority summarily rejected the claim saying they are unable to find a motive that could have instigated the employee to lie. The employee in his report has said that he had showed his frustration a number of times but the coach simply refused to take the cue. Moreover the situation further worsened when a co-worker who acted as buffer between the coach and the victim left.

Reports also suggest that a co-worker substantiated the claims made in the complaint. Wow! Why is the coach not fired?

Mulzet had won gold in the one-meter springboard competition at the 1994 Gay Games. No one even knew there was such a thing! Gay Games? Most people have not heard of that. He was also rumored to be a former partner of entertainment mogul, David Geffen.

The university in a letter divulged to USA TODAY sports that the Office for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment and Discrimination has over a period of seven years conducted 19 investigations against 17 individuals. As a result of these investigations 11 staff members had either been told to resign from their posts or simply sacked. Only last month, Yann Hufnagel, the assistant basketball coach, was fired for harassing a reporter.

The university is taking steps for the immediate formation of a Chancellor’s Committee on Sexual Violence, Harassment and Assault to stem the persistent problem of harassment. Berkeley seems to have a problem. Could it be a California thing? California is struggling on every front.

Going the Legal Route

If you face persistent harassment or discrimination at your college or workplace, don’t hesitate in reaching out to a sexual harassment attorney as soon as possible. Often employers have a tendency to downplay complaints especially if they believe that it will tarnish the organization’s reputation. Involving a legal representative will compel them to initiate an investigation and come to punishment terms much quicker.  

All universities have WiFi. If they do not, they are going that route. Click right here: Sexual-Harassment-USAttorneys. Call up a sexual harassment lawyer if you believe there is no other solution. And there probably is not.