DC settles with two women who allege Falcicchio was sexually harassed – NBC4 Washington

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration has reached a settlement with two women who were found to have been sexually harassed by former Deputy Mayor John Falcicchio, News4 was first to report.

Falcicchio was deputy mayor for planning and economic development and a longtime top aide to Bowser. He unexpectedly resigned last year.

The agreement includes payouts to the women and legal fees totaling about $500,000, sources familiar with the settlement told News4. According to the D.C. Office of Contracting and Procurement, the D.C. Council also approved a $749,600 investigation, although that could potentially be lower once completed

In addition to paying one of the women money, both women were allowed to keep their state salaries and benefits for an unspecified period of time, sources said.

The Mayor’s Office of Legal Counsel (MOLC) confirmed that the complaints against Falcicchio had been resolved but declined to disclose the terms.

“We can confirm that the MOLC, on behalf of the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, has resolved the two administrative complaints against the former deputy mayor. The confidentiality provisions in the agreements prevent us from disclosing the terms of the settlements unless required by law,” the office said in a statement.

The women’s attorneys, Debra Katz and Kayla Morin, said they could not discuss the settlement and hoped their clients’ actions could help other district employees.

“We would like to once again commend the courage of our two clients who have come forward to expose both Falcicchio’s sexual harassment and the significant deficiencies in the D.C. government’s sexual harassment policy that have allowed his behavior to go unchecked for too long remained,” says the lawyers’ statement. “Their efforts and the good they have done led to significant policy changes in D.C. government that we hope will improve working conditions for city employees in the months and years to come.”

The women’s lawyers issued a statement last summer calling Falcicchio’s actions part of a “disturbing and long-standing pattern of predatory behavior by one of the most powerful men in Washington.”

D.C.’s inspector general is expected to release the results of its independent investigation into Falcicchio by the end of this week.

Falcicchio resigned after the women came forward with their allegations and has not made any public statements since leaving office.

Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.