Originally posted by
Greg Sojka:
May 2008:
Joe Murphy was a top aide in the personnel department under then-County Executive Chris Collins when he was accused of sexually harassing a female employee.
County taxpayers paid a $155,000 settlement to the woman who filed the claim.
She told 7 Eyewitness News she was forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement and told she could never work in county government again.
The settlement was put through as a workers' comp. claim and only became public when it came before Erie County's control board.
Murphy was suspended for five days.
He remains in the same job -- making $89,000 per year -- to this day.