Hillsborough reaches $278,000 settlement in commissioner's sex bias suit

TAMPA — Hillsborough County's part in Commissioner Kevin White's sexual discrimination lawsuit has come to an end.

The county has agreed to pay White's former aide, Alyssa Ogden, and her attorney $278,000 to settle the case. In exchange, Ogden and her attorney, Ron Fraley, agreed Tuesday to release the county from any future liability, should White decide to appeal a jury's verdict against him last month.

"It's over for us. It's over for the county," said County Attorney Renee Lee. "We will never have to deal with this judgment and attorneys' fees again."

The amount is nearly $14,000 less than what Fraley initially sought in legal fees and costs.

In addition to the settlement, the county has had to pay an outside counsel to represent its position in the lawsuit. The most recent invoice has pushed that bill to about $200,000.

Lee said her office is looking at whether an insurance policy the county holds might cover some of the nearly $480,000 overall cost of the case.

The policy, known as excess liability coverage, has a $350,000 deductible, so at best it would cover about $130,000 of the tab. Lee said the insurer has sent a letter to the county saying it will conduct an independent investigation of the case to determine whether the policy can be tapped.

Lee said White also has inquired with the county's Human Resources Department about whether the policy could be used to defray his own legal bill. White has previously told the St. Petersburg Times that he has spent nearly as much on his lawyers as the county has to hire an outside counsel.

White did not return a phone call seeking comment for this story.

Ogden sued the county and White, 44, a Democrat, claiming she was fired in 2007 for refusing his repeated sexual advances after seven months on the job. A civil jury sided with her, awarding Ogden $75,000 in damages, which she will receive within the next 30 days as part of the settlement.

The rest of the money from the settlement goes to Fraley for his legal work for her over more than 18 months on the case.

"It's done," Fraley said. "Alyssa's just really happy that it's over and that she can move on."

Hillsborough commissioners had contemplated appealing U.S. District Judge Richard Lazzara's ruling that the county was jointly liable with White in the case. But they were already under heat from constituents upset that the county has to pay anything for White's indiscretions, and decided not to risk more taxpayer money on an appeal.

They are still contemplating whether to sue White to ensure he pays some of the costs.

So, for now, they have asked their attorneys to negotiate with White's to see if he is willing to pay some amount. White has declined to answer that question publicly so far.

Information on financial disclosure statements that office holders must file with the state, along with other public records, raise questions about whether he has enough money to make a dent in the county's bill.

Times researcher John Martin contributed to this report. Bill Varian can be reached at varian@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3387.