A lawsuit claiming sexual harassment has been settled. The lawsuit in Caledonia County Superior Court Civil Division filed against Vermont Broadcast Associates, its owner Bruce James, and associate Richard (Dick) Therrien has been dismissed without prejudice, which means it can’t be brought back. The case was filed by VBA’s former employee, Melissa Jackman in 2018. Jackman claimed harassment from Therrien who worked for James at the radio station.
According to Therrein's attorney David Sleigh,Therrien agreed to pay “nuisance value” to resolve the case because it would cost him tens of thousands to defend himself. The settlement is an undisclosed amount of money. He also called it a "false claim." Some attorneys involved claimed Jackman started the behavior and at times participated, however Jackman claimed increasingly aggressive behavior by Thierrein including assault that caused her emotional distress. The case against VBA and James was dropped. Read full details in The Newport Daily Express today (Thursday, January 28).
