HOUSTON – A City of Houston investigation into claims of sexual harassment and retaliation is now closed.
Their findings? Insufficient evidence to sustain a violation.
Back in December, KPRC 2 Investigates first reported the allegations made by a former employee against the Director of the Houston Airports System and the Harmony In The Air program director inside of Bush and Hobby Airports.
The city is not revealing much about the nearly five-month-long investigation, only that its Airport Director, Mario Diaz, and a subordinate he’s been in a relationship with, Maricela Kruseman, are both in the clear.
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In the letter sent to the former employee by the city’s Inspector General, Robin Curtis, she says they took the employee’s concerns “seriously”.
The employee’s claims of a “sexual remark,” multiple hugs, along with sniffing, and compliments by Kruseman were evidence, but it “did not meet the sexual harassment and legal standard of severe or pervasive.”
Curtis then admits the city took action to end Kruseman’s behavior, writing, “The Office of Inspector General (OIG) did find that the City’s action to end the behavior was reasonably calculated to and did end the behavior.”
Regarding the complaint directed at Diaz for retaliation, the former employee says the HAS Director withheld his raise after reporting his claims of sexual harassment. The OIG’s evidence shows otherwise.
Diaz did not have comment after learning of the findings.
On Monday, his attorney, Steve Kardell, said after nearly five months, the OIG reached its conclusion without conducting a thorough investigation.
“To the effect that their investigation of Director Diaz and Ms. Kruseman has been concluded, it is unprecedented for any legitimate investigative agency, such as OIG, to conclude an investigation without any effort to obtain testimony from all first-hand witnesses,” Kardell said.
