Lawsuit: Former DC Lottery supervisor sexually harassed assistant

WASHINGTON - La'Prea Holton says the inappropriate behavior started almost immediately after she took a job as a staff assistant in sales at the D.C. Lottery.

It started when her male supervisor, who FOX 5 is not naming because he hasn't been charged with a crime, told her she couldn't have her preferred size for a staff shirt because her breasts were too large.

Holton says the comments about her breasts continued and got worse.

"[He was] requesting to see my breasts in a two-piece bathing suit and pictures of my breasts and swaying against me, brushing against me if I took a document into his office," said Holton.

Holton filed a lawsuit against the District, which oversees the Office of Lottery and Charitable Games, in March of 2017, but she is sharing her story publicly for the first time as the case gets set to go to trial later this year.

Holton says when she got the courage to report her boss' behavior about a year after it started, her complaints were brushed off by human resources officials. Holton says some of those officials who ignored her remain at the agency.

"My voice just went unheard," she said. "It was swept under the rug, which made me go outside of the agency."

In August 2015, the District's Office of Human Rights granted Holton a small victory. In documents explaining the findings of its investigation, the Office of Human Rights declared that witness interviews supported Holton's claim that her boss engaged in sexual conduct in the office. The Office of Human Rights also found probable cause that the agency subjected Holton to a "sexually hostile work environment" and that it retaliated against her by giving her a written reprimand after she reported the harassment.

The former supervisor accused of the repeated harassment retired in January 2015. When reached on the phone by FOX 5 on Tuesday, he first said he did not know anything about the allegations, and then denied harassing Holton, saying she was not his type.

Holton's lawyer, Dionna Lewis of Tully Rinckey PLLC, says she expects the case to go to trial later this year. Lewis hopes the lawsuit makes her client whole by awarding her damages for pain and suffering, mental anguish and ongoing out-of-pocket therapy expenses. Yet she and her client are looking to most importantly send a message.

"What we hope to gain from this and Ms. Holton hopes to gain from this is a bit of closure, a bit of recognition that what she went through was not right," said Lewis. "That no one should have to go through that whether you are walking down the street being harassed or in your workplace."

"I want to send a message that it's wrong that because you report being sexually harassed, you shouldn't have to be retaliated against," said Holton.

A spokeswoman for the Office of Lottery and Charitable Games wrote in a statement to FOX 5:

"The Office of Lottery and Charitable Games supports an environment free of harassment and discrimination. As such, each employee is required to attend anti-harassment training. When and if allegations are made, they are taken seriously and are thoroughly investigated. We are, however, unable to comment on the specific case because it is currently in litigation."