Former employee accuses Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph for fostering a 'sexually hostile workplace'

In late November, a whistle-blower named Larry Probst accused the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph of fostering a "sexually hostile workplace." Two months later, Probst is the latest person to file a lawsuit against the diocese.

Probst worked at the diocese as a part-time archivist at the Chancery office. He started in 1999 or 2000 on an intermittent basis and then "on a more regular, permanent, part-time basis" in 2007. His lawsuit says the "unwanted and unwelcome sexual harassment from his supervisory priests" and from a co-worker started in spring 2010 and continued until June 30, 2011, when he was fired for what he claims was retaliation for complaining about the unwanted advances.

The lawsuit says the Rev. Charles Michael Coleman, who served as Archivist for the Chancery, hired his friend, a man named Michael St. George, to do data entry from the sacramental records into a computer program called "Parish-Soft." The lawsuit alleges that Coleman and the Rev. Robert Cameron "fawned over" St. George in front of Probst. The lawsuit says Coleman, Cameron and others would talk "about St. George in sexually suggestive ways ... in the presence of" Probst.

The lawsuit also alleges that St. Geo...

Read the story here: http://www.pitch.com/plog/archives/2012/01/12/former-employee-sues-catholic-diocese-of-kansas-city-st-joseph-accused-of-fostering-a-sexually-hostile-workplace

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