Chesapeake CPR instructor files lawsuit over complaint

CHESAPEAKE

A CPR instructor has filed a defamation lawsuit against the city and two employees after he was accused of inappropriately touching a woman while teaching a class.

Jack Morrell was teaching a CPR class on Nov. 3, 2006, for a group of city employees. Afterward , one woman filed a complaint with the city accusing Morrell of sexually harassing her in front of the class by touching her inappropriately, according to the lawsuit.

Morrell filed the defamation lawsuit in Chesapeake Circuit Court against the city, Equal Employment Opportunity Specialist Eugene Rosier and city employee Michelle Phelps . The lawsuit seeks $15,000 in compensatory damages and $125,000 in punitive damages from each defendant.

Deputy City Attorney John Oliver said his office will not comment on pending litigation.

Morrell, a certified CPR instructor, has conducted seminars for city departments for more than 20 years as a volunteer and independent contractor, according to his attorney, Gregory Klein .

During the classes, Morrell often physically positioned students or adjusted their maneuvers while they practiced CPR techniques on mannequins, the lawsuit said.

After one class, Phelps filed a complaint against Morrell, prompting an investigation by the city’s EEO compliance administrator. Morrell was not told of the complaint, Klein said.

“They did the entire investigation, and they never contacted Mr. Morrell,” Klein said.

The investigator concluded that it was “more likely than not” that Morrell “did strike” the woman inappropriately, according to the lawsuit. Rosier recommended that Morrell not be allowed to continue providing training to the city, the lawsuit said.

“It’s a very serious charge, and the fact that he wasn’t told about it until after the fact really is disturbing,” Klein said.

According to the lawsuit, Morris has been prohibited by the city from volunteering or contracting with the city. Klein estimates there were about eight people from the city’s Public Works Department in the CPR class that day.

“While it was not perfectly clear what occurred, the majority of witnesses, including Phelps’ supervisor, who were present during the class stated the plaintiff did not act inappropriately or engage in inappropriate conduct,” the lawsuit said.

John Hopkins, (757) 222-5221, john.hopkins@pilotonline.com