Former Pa. employee gets nearly $200k over sexual harassment claims against former Shapiro cabinet member

A former state employee will receive nearly $200,000 Friday as part of a previous settlement of sexual harassment claims she made against a former cabinet member in Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Treasury, it has received requests for a total of $295,000 in payments related to the case involving Mike Vereb, who resigned in September as Shapiro’s secretary of legislative affairs.

Under the settlement, the woman will receive $196,000 and two law offices will receive over $49,000 each for a total of $99,000.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette first reported the payments.

While the woman was paid Friday, the lawyers will receive payments on Nov. 29, according to the Treasury Department, which explained that $250,000 would come from the Employee Liability Self-Insurance Program and $45,000 from the governor’s office.

PennLive previously reported that the 14-page settlement agreement was signed on Sept. 5, and the total amount of the settlement. PennLive has not named the woman because of the nature of the allegations.

The woman accused Vereb, a former state representative, of making lewd and sexually inappropriate comments and unwanted sexual advances toward her. The allegations were reported the day after Vereb resigned.

News of the payments comes just days after several Republican female House members unveiled a legislative package to reform sexual harassment rules and laws.

Among the legislators involved in that effort is Rep. Abby Major of Armstrong County, who went public in March with sexual harassment claims against now-former Democratic Rep. Mike Zabel of Delaware County.

Zabel resigned in March after three women all made similar allegations.

The legislative package includes:

• A resolution proposed by Major that would amend the House Ethical Conduct Rules to include “non-verbal acts” to its definition of sexual harassment, expand the rules to ban members and officers from sexually harassing anyone while conducting House duties or on House owned or leased property, allow for an appeal process for ethics complaints dismissed during a preliminary investigation, and increase transparency about the number of complaints filed with the Ethics Committee and their disposition.
• A bill from Rep. Kate Klunk of York County amending the state’s Right-to-Know Law to redact the names of victims of sexual harassment or assault in settlement agreements released to the public.
• A bill from Rep. Donna Scheuren of Montgomery County amending the PennWATCH Act to include information on settlements paid to an individual or state employee resulting from actions by a state employee.
• A bill from Rep. Charity Grimm Krupa of Fayette County that would create a framework for the state to seek reimbursements from those people whose actions prompt a settlement or judgement against the state.
• A bill from Rep. Ann Flood of Northampton County that would prohibit the enforcement of pre-employment non-disclosure agreements or non-disparagement agreements between employers and employees, independent contractors, goods and services providers, and consumers.