Alaska governor candidate faces sexual harassment lawsuit
The head of a political consulting firm facing a sexual-harassment lawsuit now faces another sexual-harassment lawsuit tied to his firm.
The head of a political consulting firm facing a sexual-harassment lawsuit now faces another sexual-harassment lawsuit tied to his firm.
Sue Ann Mersky claims she suffered a series of unwanted sexual advances by Michael “Mike” Rispone, former chairman of the Anchorage Commission on Ethics, who resigned last year after the Anchorage Daily News and the Alaska Journal found he’d made unwanted sexual advances to women who worked for his firm, Alaskans for Responsibility and Ethics in Government.
Rispone resigned last year after the Anchorage Daily News and the Alaska Journal found he’d made unwanted sexual advances to women who worked for his firm, Alaskans for Responsibility and Ethics in Government.
The firm, which specializes in consulting and has clients ranging from Alaska’s schools and health care systems to a state tourism agency, is called the Rispone Group.
A complaint filed in February in state court accuses Rispone of engaging in “a systematic pattern of harassing conduct” toward Mersky, including unwanted sexual conduct on three occasions.
Mersky accuses Alaskans for Responsibility and Ethics in Government of retaliating against her and says she has suffered continuing emotional distress and mental anguish.
The complaint also accuses Rispone of sexual harassment and sexual discrimination in the workplace, and Mersky sought $350,000 to settle the lawsuit.
Rispone’s attorney, Eric E. Vos, released a statement to the Alaska Journal saying, “Michael Rispone’s attorneys will be reviewing the complaint.”
The Anchorage Daily News and the Alaska Journal dug deep into Rispone’s records and found he was accused by three women of sexual harassment and sexual discrimination in the workplace. The allegations were reported to state police and the Anchorage Police Department investigated the complaints as part of the Anchorage Police Department’s Internal Affairs Unit. The Anchorage Police Department declined to press charges, saying it had no evidence to pursue the allegations further.
After that report, Rispone resigned.
The Rispone Group did not respond to questions about why it hired Michael Rispone, and the allegations against him at the time.
On Friday, Eileen Sullivan and Mersky filed