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Warwick Filing Admits Sexual Harassment Email, Apology Text Sent

[CREDIT: Rob Borkowski] The Warwick Water Division offices on Sandy Lane are the scene of a months-long pattern of Warwick sexual harassment by staff and supervisors, as told in a lawsuit by a former employee.

[CREDIT: Rob Borkowski] The Warwick Water Division offices on Sandy Lane are the scene of a months-long pattern of Warwick sexual harassment by staff and supervisors, as told in a lawsuit by a former employee.
[CREDIT: Rob Borkowski] The Warwick Water Division offices on Sandy Lane are the scene of a months-long pattern of Warwick sexual harassment by staff and supervisors, as told in a lawsuit by a former employee.
WARWICK, RI — The City of Warwick has admitted two city employees sent messages to a Water Division employee, one with sexually harassing remarks and one apologizing for such remarks, in a filing answering the woman’s sexual harassment lawsuit in U.S. District  Court.

Bree Boulais’ sexual harassment suit alleges an 18-month sexual harassment campaign against her, beginning with what she described as City Controller Jason Parmelee’s inappropriate email to her March  11, 2022.

According to the suit, the email read: “Hey there. I was just over there…I don’t think I ever realized how attractive you are. Super Cute… Well, have a great weekend haha!”

The city of Warwick admitted that Parmelee sent the message on that date. The city also admitted that Boulais’ manager, Water Division Business Manager Michael St. Pierre, sent Boulais a text Feb. 9, 2023 apologizing for a previous text message Boulais described in the suit as sexually harassing. According to the suit, the apology read:  “Hey! No response from my last text to you. I hope I didn’t offend you. It was meant to be complimentary…”

According to the suit, the message St. Pierre was apologizing for read: “I hope your lunch went well! Just an unsolicited opinion – you should wear your royal blue dress on your date. You look killer in that dress. Don’t let it go to your head! Lol.” The city of Warwick denied that message occurred.

The city’s answer to the suit, filed Aug. 13, denies nearly all of the statements and much of the harassment alleged in the lawsuit, save for the original email and text message apology.

Warwick Post reported in July [City: Managers in Sexual Harassment Suit Attended Training Six Months Earlier] that both Parmelee and St. Pierre had received the city’s sexual  harassment policy at the time the messages were allegedly sent, information received as a result of a public records request that  followed Mayor Frank Picozzi’s failure to respond to a request for the policy or information on who received it and when, or if the policy required routine periodic reminders for staff. It does not. A copy of the policy has been attached to the end of this article.

City records show Parmelee’s attendance at a RI Commission on Human Rights training on harassment for all supervisors on Aug. 31, 2021. Parmelee originally received a copy of the policy March 30, 2020. St. Pierre had received a copy of the policy on May 20, 2004, with no further record of a reminder memo or attendance at sexual harassment training.

Steven Brown, executive director of ACLU of Rhode Island, said the policy itself appears adequate.
“The major problem, as [Warwick Post’s] story demonstrates, is that, if the allegations are true, it simply has not been taken seriously by some employees.  Certainly, regularly reviewing and re-upping the policy so that employees know the city takes it seriously would be helpful. At the same time, the fact that some of the employees had very recently had training on the topic indicates that those strategies cannot guarantee compliance.
It’s important to note that these remain only allegations at this point, but they are serious enough that the city should be engaging in a comprehensive review and asking current and former employees to confidentially come forward if they believe they have been victims of unlawful sexual harassment by their supervisors or other city officials,” Brown wrote.

Previous reading on this story:

Suit: Warwick Sexual Harassment By City Managers Lasted 18 Months

City: Managers in Sexual Harassment Suit Attended Training Six Months Earlier

Warwick-answers-Boulais-suit Warwick-Sexual-Harassment-Policy
Rob Borkowski
Author: Rob Borkowski

Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at [email protected] with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.

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