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A former Oregon Department of Justice employee has filed a sex discrimination suit, claiming he was fired for sending texts to female co-workers, who also sent teasing texts to him with no consequences.
(Harry Esteve/The Oregonian)
A former
employee is suing the agency for sex discrimination after he was fired for "inappropriate" text messages to female co-workers.
The basis of his suit: the co-workers -- at least five of them -- sent him lots of risqué texts, too, yet they weren't disciplined.
Antonio Castaneda Jr. was fired by the agency last July after an investigation into alleged inappropriate conduct at work and inappropriate text messages, according to the suit, filed June 12 in Marion County Circuit Court.
But Castaneda, who worked for the department for 11 months as an office specialist, alleges the women he texted did the same thing to him, both on the phone and in conversations.
Topics, according to the lawsuit, included "teasing Plaintiff about his penis size due to the size of his hands and/or feet, discussing walking around naked at home, the lack of sex they were having with their significant others" and other personal matters.
Lawsuit
(
Editors' note:
Lawsuit includes sexually explicit language.)
Yet those workers were not investigated or reprimanded, according to the suit. The teasing created a hostile work environment for Castaneda based on his sex, the suit alleges.
The suit goes on to allege that Castaneda provided screen shots of some of the texts, yet his version of events wasn't deemed credible.
Castaneda is seeking $536,113, including $36,113 in lost pay and benefits, and $500,000 for emotional distress, including "anxiety, depression, shame, humiliation, embarrassment, disappointment and worry."
Castaneda could not be reached for comment. One of his lawyers, Tonyia Brady, said in an email statement that her client had worked in state government for 10 years, and that his sudden termination was unfair. "Mr. Castaneda was terminated for behavior that was common practice by his female co-workers," Brady said.
Jeff Manning, spokesman for Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, said the department won't comment on the suit.
-- Harry Esteve