Councilman Oliverio Dropped from Sexual Harassment Lawsuit

Councilman Pierluigi Oliverio's former chief of staff dropped his name from a sexual harassment lawsuit filed last fall.

However, Denelle Fedor, Oliverio's former campaign manager and policy aide, will continue to seek at least $25,000 in damages from the city, according to the Mercury News.

"I am pleased the plaintiff voluntarily dropped the complaint against me and that no money was paid," Oliverio told San Jose Inside.

In the lawsuit filed last September, Fedor says her former boss of six years made inappropriate comments.

Fedor worked on Oliverio's council campaign and, after his election to the District 6 seat, spent years working in his office as a policy aide. A month before suing him and the city, Fedor took a job with District 10 Councilman Johnny Khamis, whose office sits close to Oliverio's on the 18th floor of City Hall.

The complaint, filed in the Santa Clara County Superior Court, alleges that Oliverio became emotionally and verbally abusive in 2010. In 2013, Fedor says, she went out on medical leave because of the stress of working for him. This was following her failed bid for a council seat in District 10.

Fedor did not return a call for comment.

Even with Oliverio's name dropped, the city remains liable for the lawsuit and will continue to fight it.

4 Comments

  1. Funny how SJI’s article makes it sound like Oliverio being dropped from the suit equates to factual innocence and zero culpability on his part… the Merc article paints a very different picture.

    Oliverio may enjoy his “no money was paid” victory dance… (by getting dropped he should gladly eat the $225 he is shaking down the taxpayers to reimburse him from his ILLEGAL purchase of a toy radar gun) … but I predict the City will pay Fedor a significant amount of money to avoid a trial.

    If it does go to trial the payout will be significantly more and Pierluigi will have a tough time ever being a position of authority or respect again as he will be exposed under penalty of perjury for the frustrated mammone that he is.

  2. Yet another person in a position of power not being held accountable for his actions and the citizens and employees of the city will pay the price. Interesting to note that once again we have an individual in a position of power who doesn’t know how to behave and isn’t going to learn anytime soon as there isn’t anyone interested in teaching him. Another fine example set for our children.

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