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Mayor Mavrakis Deflects Allegations with “She’s just another damn woman” in Television Interview

“Why would I want oral sex from her, I am not into bestiality.” Mayor Mavrakis said in an interview, where not all of it was aired due to inappropriate language. The story is simple. When the mayor faced a lawsuit for gender discrimination and sexual harassment from Melissa Luketich, he made more sexually harassing comments to defend his sexual harassment. After all, in his words, heard by Attorney Christi, “She’s just another damn woman.”

Melissa Luketich asked to work a few more hours to help support herself and her child. The mayor refused. In fact, he made inappropriate and sexual comments to her. Melissa pointed out how the mayor’s conduct toward her only worsened, including derogatory name-calling and retaliation. Of course, the mayor denies all of this.

According to Melissa, when she requested more hours, the mayor responded, “If you want more hours, come down to the city building, and get under my desk and suck it.” In interviews now, the mayor defends himself by saying, “I’ve had prostate surgery. What is Viagra gonna do me, or Viagra, or Cialis, or whatever it is?” And yet, Melissa recalls that he had previously claimed to her, “I don’t need any blue pills, even though I am 80-years-old.”Attorney Christi Wallace sums it up well, “If he’s saying this to the public, what is he saying behind closed doors?”

Something is not lining up. When a mayor is using “explicit language in his interview” that a television station could not air and defends himself with more offensive language, it only looks bad for him. Attorney Christi Wallace sums it up well, “If he’s saying this to the public, what is he saying behind closed doors?”

Meanwhile, the mayor terms Melissa’s lawsuit as politically motivated while discounting her allegations due to a previous disability discrimination lawsuit. Lawsuits are not only time sensitive but they are also time intensive. Melissa filed her complaint against the City of Monessen and the mayor with the EEOC a year ago. She could not know if or when she would receive the right to sue letter, which requires the lawsuit to be filed within 90 days of receipt. Moreover, Mayor Mavrakis already lost the primary in May and his sole hope of winning his post again depends on voters writing him in.

Melissa’s lawsuit against the mayor for sexual harassment comes at a particularly sensitive time. Women and men have spent the week taking to the internet to post their #metoo stories of sexual harassment. The stories are different. But each story and #metoo wails for change. Melissa’s #metoo has rocked Pittsburgh’s airwaves as she pursues her employment rights of a workplace free of sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and retaliation. This is not about the mayor’s politics or re-election, it’s about Melissa, a woman who wanted to work a few more hours but instead suffered from the mayor’s crude words.

Kraemer, Manes & Associates LLC is an employment law firm with principal offices in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, serving all counties in Pennsylvania, focusing on employment law, business law, litigation, and civil issues. KM&A clients include employees, small businesses, parties in litigation, and people with a variety of legal issues.

For more information about this case, contact Attorney Christi Wallace at 412-626-5575 or at cw@lawkm.com and Attorney Kayla Drum at 412-626-5594 or at kd@lawkm.com.