Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office quietly settled sexual harassment allegation against top aide

Details about how the administration responded to the allegations, and any investigations that followed, remain fuzzy.

Two former Shapiro staffers who were identified in the complaint as having witnessed some of the alleged misconduct told Spotlight PA they were interviewed in March by the state’s Office of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), which investigates employment-related complaints involving most state agencies.

The two ex-staffers, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter, said they told the EEO officer at the time that they disputed the woman’s description of specific events that she had said they witnessed.

“I told them [EEO] that what she [alleged] was out of the realm of possibility,” one of the two ex-staffers said in an interview with Spotlight PA.

Both ex-staffers said they were told that the EEO office was going to retrieve and review their emails and text messages.

It is not known how many other staffers were interviewed, or whether the Equal Employment Opportunity office concluded its investigation or came to any definitive conclusions.

The complaint against Vereb obtained by Spotlight PA and other news organizations was addressed to Pennsylvania’s Human Relations Commission, which is separate from the EEO office. The document is signed and dated May 26, but does not have a stamp or other markings that confirm it was filed or accepted by the commission.

In a personal statement attached to the complaint, the accuser alleged Vereb’s inappropriate behavior began within weeks of her starting work in January for Shapiro’s fledgling administration.

She alleged specific instances — in some cases, witnessed by others in the governor’s office — in which Vereb acted or spoke inappropriately. She also alleged Vereb discussed having a sexual relationship with her.

The accuser wrote that she told Vereb at one point during her brief employment with the governor’s office that she was concerned about his image, as there were rumors and questions circulating about his personal life. She said Vereb told her he had been vetted by the governor “on this topic,” and that he had promised it would not be an issue for the office.

Within hours, she said, the retaliation began. She said she ended up resigning her job in March, just weeks after joining the administration.

It is not known whether the Human Relations Commission launched a formal inquiry into the complaint. Such personnel-related investigations and information about them are generally not public under the law.

But the use of confidentiality or similar clauses to resolve such allegations, especially if they involve tax dollars, has come under the microscope as part of the #MeToo movement.

Supporters of the clauses argue the promise of confidentiality is necessary not just to protect reputations, but to encourage victims — and witnesses — to come forward without fear of reprisal. But critics of the practice argue it perpetuates a harmful culture of secrecy, and can prevent taxpayers from knowing how their money is being used.

In Pennsylvania, taxpayer-underwritten settlements have been common over the years.

Between 2010 and 2019, state officials paid at least $3.2 million in taxpayer funds to resolve more than two dozen sexual harassment complaints against government and public employees.

And in 2015, Pennsylvania House Democrats spent nearly $250,000 in taxpayer money to secretly settle a sexual harassment complaint against one of the chamber’s longtime lawmakers. The settlement included a nondisclosure agreement.

Legislation was introduced in 2017 to bar nondisclosure agreements when settling civil claims of sexual assault and harassment, but the bill did not ultimately advance.

Other states have barred or severely restricted the use of such clauses in settlement agreements in recent years. Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy in 2019 signed into law legislation that renders nondisclosure provisions unenforceable in settlement agreements in cases that involve workplace harassment or discrimination-related claims.

A year earlier, in 2018, Kansas’ legislature passed budget legislation with provisions prohibiting the use of taxpayer money to settle sexual harassment claims and barring state agencies from using public dollars to pursue nondisclosure agreements when settling claims.

Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds the powerful to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania.