Face of Nation : A former B.C. Mountie has settled a sexual harassment lawsuit against the RCMP out of court. Susan Gastaldo claimed that Staff Sgt. Travis Pearson “forcibly inflicted harmful and offensive sexual contact” on her in 2009 when she was working under Pearson in a Burnaby surveillance unit known as “Special O.”
“I think she’s happy to have it behind her,” said Kosteckyj. “This is something that not only she has been going through, but she has two children who have grown up over the years with this hanging over their heads.”
In August 2009, Gastaldo brought a complaint of sexual harassment and assault to the RCMP after her husband discovered sexually charged exchanges between her and Pearson on her RCMP Blackberry.
Gastaldo claimed that Pearson had coerced her into a sexual relationship and sexually assaulted her, sometimes in police vehicles while on duty. The RCMP asked the Vancouver Police Department to investigate, and in 2012 a VPD detective constable was assigned to the case.
Based on the VPD officer’s finding, the relationship between Gastaldo and Pearson was deemed consensual and the claim dismissed by a panel of three male adjudicators. Pearson was docked 10 days pay and ordered to undergo counselling. Gastaldo was docked seven days pay and it was recommend she be dismissed from the RCMP.
Gastaldo appealed the decision, alleging it was biased and failed to give weight to Pearson’s position of power. She also claimed Pearson’s propensity for sexual misconduct had not been considered, as other women had complained about his behaviour, including a second female subordinate who testified that Pearson had coerced her into an intimate relationship. In 2013, the RCMP cleared Gastaldo but did so secretively, burying the announcement in a year old news release.
