Hyde Park Woman Raped By State Investigator By: Jacques Dady Jean |
| A woman,
identified only as Chantal, alleged that she was harassed and then raped by an
investigator employed by the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD).
On May 18, 1999, Chantal, a Haitian American who resides in Hyde Park, Mass., went to the MCAD to file a complaint against her employer because she believed that she had been racially discriminated against. Chantal completed the claim form without any hesitation, which included giving her name and address and returned it to the Commission. Later that day, she began to receive harassing phone calls from one of the investigators who expressed his desire to have an intimate relationship with her. Chantal became very embarrassed by the situation and she started calling friends to ask for advice. The following Saturday, the MCAD investigator who interviewed Chantal knocked on her door, declaring that he needed her to sign a few papers. The investigator told her the steps to take in order to win the case, an action that is believed to contradict the professional ethics of an investigator. Chantal claims that the investigator told her that he has the power to help anyone win a case. Feeling uneasy about the situation, she contacted a lawyer who advised her that it was unusual for a MCAD investigator to come to a client’s home on a weekend to finish paperwork. The investigator came to Chantal's house for a second time to supposedly discuss her case. He moved to the couch where she was sitting and he started touching the young woman. Chantal asked him to stop, he promised to help her with the case in exchange for sex, then he left. He continued to harass her by calling her to beg for sex, and finally for a third time he showed up at her house. This is when Chantal alleged that the investigator forced her into a sexual act. Since then Chantal has experienced nightmares. Her life has been disrupted by depression and she is afraid to come forward because of fear of government retaliation. She considered giving up the case in order to keep distance from the investigator. She called the MCAD to request that they assign another investigator to her case, so far no decision has been taken. |
The investigator is now trying to intimidate her. He cautioned that he would blow her case and she has received several anonymous threatening phone calls. Chantal would like to file a complaint against MCAD, although it is hard to imagine doing so - going straight to your abuser to cry for justice. The MCAD is investigating Chantal's allegations but has no comment at this time. The Boston Connection Magazine will follow this matter in order to keep you informed. This is for the second time in less than a year that this state agency is being accused for possible wrongful actions. While we were about to print this article, the MCAD investigator involved in the case called to deny Chantal's allegation. He admitted that he had a brief affair with her but it was a consensual one. He countered that he stopped seeing Chantal after she informed his wife about their relationship. He also said that he obtained a temporary restraining order against Chantal on July 26, 1999 from Quincy Court, which is about three weeks after Chantal first reported him to his supervisor at the MCAD, and just a few hours after a Boston Connection reporter contacted the MCAD about Chantal's allegations. Although the supervisor, Jean Clinton - an African-American woman, agreed that she took the complaint, it appears that she did not plan to take any action. Contrarily a white agent who was present at the meeting seemed to take the allegations more seriously. After all, the young Haitian woman seemed more likely to be the victim. The Boston Connection Magazine will continue to follow this case. ¨
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