Judge dismisses intimidation claims against former PHA chief Carl Greene

A federal judge has dismissed claims that former Philadelphia Housing Authority Executive Director Carl R. Greene tried to intimidate a female employee after the woman accused him of sexual harassment.

Moneke Thomas, a former PHA senior management specialist, had alleged that Greene enlisted current and former agency employees to retaliate against her - vandalizing her home, tampering with her mail, and following her by car.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe ruled that Thomas had not presented enough facts to show that Greene instigated or condoned the actions.

In a 17-page opinion, she said Thomas also failed to link Greene - or any PHA employee - with trying to interfere with her getting a new job.

An attorney for Thomas, Joanne Rathgeber, said Thursday that she did not know yet if her client would amend her complaint to provide additional evidence.

An attorney for Greene, Clifford Haines, did not respond to an e-mail and phone call seeking comment.

Of 10 legal actions filed in the aftermath of Greene's firing last September, five have been dismissed.

PHA's commissioners terminated Greene after learning that the authority had secretly settled three sexual-harassment cases female employees filed against Greene. Thomas had filed one and settled for $350,000 in June 2008.

A fourth woman - PHA interior designer Elizabeth Helm - has just accepted a PHA settlement of $500,000, her attorney, John Elliott, said Wednesday. Helm filed her complaint that Greene had made sexual advances in April 2010.

Greene has denied wrongdoing. The Helm settlement raises to $1,148,000 the amount spent since 2005 by the authority to end harassment claims against its former executive director.

One of the pending cases is Greene's suit against four previous PHA commissioners. He alleged that the board denied him his right to defend himself against charges of misconduct before firing him.

Two other female PHA employees have active complaints - one in federal court and one before the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission - asserting that their careers were derailed because of Greene's retaliation.

Meanwhile, another pair of employees - a woman asserting sexual harassment and a man claiming retaliation and a demotion for speaking out - have filed federal appeals of claims recently dismissed by federal district judges.