BANGOR, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – It was a legal victory for a former city of Bangor Police Chief who claimed he was repeatedly sexually harassed at work by his supervisor, Bangor City Manager Tommy Simpson.
A Western District of Michigan federal jury on Thursday, May 11, awarded Hothman Misane over $1.2 million dollars in damages against the City of Bangor for violations of federal and state employment law.
The lawsuit, filed on June 10th, 2021, alleged that Simpson, who was both the City Manager and Police Chief at the time, continually made sexually provocative comments to Misane and two other now former officers, Tyler Sleep and Jerol Williams while they were employed with the city’s police department.
The lawsuit also alleged that Williams was the target of racial discrimination.
Misane, who would become the next police chief, was demoted and fired by the city mayor after threatening to file a complaint regarding Simpson’s actions.
The 33-year-old began working for the Bangor Police Department in 2017. He was later promoted to sergeant, acting chief, deputy chief and eventually chief of police.
50-year-old Williams began working for Bangor police in January 2020, and had been a police officer for 15 years, and alleged in the lawsuit that because he was black, he had been passed over for promotions at the department while his white counterparts – with fewer qualifications and less experience – had been promoted.
34-year-old Sleep began working at the department in 2019, and alleged that on “numerous occasions,” Simpson brought up Sleep’s former police chief and the chief’s wife in an inappropriate sexual manner.
His complaint went onto say that Simpson “regularly and unwelcomely” touched his body, giving him back massages and putting his arm around him.
Simpson had taken over the city manager’s responsibilities upon the resignation of then-City Manager Regina Hoover.
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