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| Wright v. KBR |
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A Houston woman has filed suit against government contracting
firm KBR, alleging it created a "sexually violent workplace" that
allowed a co-worker to sexually assault her at an Iraqi airbase two
years ago.
The woman, now 28, was attacked by co-worker David C. Breda Jr.
of Pearland while he was helping her move into new quarters at
Camp Al Asad on Oct. 8, 2008. Breda, 35, a former U.S. Army
recruiter who had previously been sanctioned for molesting an
18-year-old female recruit, was sentenced to 24 months in federal
prison in January after he pleaded guilty to assaulting the woman in
Iraq.
The lawsuit in a Harris County state district court is the latest in a
number of claims brought against Houston-based KBR by
employees who say they were attacked by co-workers or others at
jobs in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the first was brought by Jamie
Leigh Jones, formerly of Conroe, who contends she was gang-raped
at a KBR facility in Baghdad in July 2005.
"If you're raising jackals and put a rabbit in the jackal cage, you
can't turn your back and say it's the rabbit's fault the jackals
attacked," said Todd Kelly, who represents the Houston woman,
Jones and four others with claims against KBR. "That's what
they're doing. They put young women right in front of these men
who have gotten away with this for so long and they turn their back.
They do nothing to protect these women."
Heather Browne, a KBR spokeswoman, denied the assertions in the
lawsuit and said KBR's top priority is the safety and security of its
employees. KBR maintains a strong and effective sexual
harassment and assault prevention and reporting program, she said.
KBR denies allegations
"KBR adamantly denies the allegations in (the lawsuit) that sexual
misconduct is encouraged, tolerated, or ignored," Brown said in a
statement released by the company. "KBR responded immediately
to (the) report of inappropriate sexual contact and reported it to
military authorities. KBR also fully cooperated with the criminal
investigation ... "
Last year, an arbitrator in Houston awarded $2.93 million to Tracy
Barker, the wife of an Army sergeant who said she was sexually
assaulted at a KBR-operated camp in Iraq in 2005 by a U.S. State
Department employee. Her attorney was critical when KBR, after
fighting to keep their employee's claims out of a courtroom, sought
to reduce the arbitrator's award.
Kelly is also representing former KBR employee Anna Mayo, 27,
from the Austin area, who says she was beaten, choked unconscious
and raped at KBR barracks at a U.S. base in Balad, Iraq, last
November.
KBR, on its website, disputes many of the allegations made by
Jones, Barker and other female employees who have pending
lawsuits or claims against the company.
Kelly, the Houston attorney, notes KBR was placed on notice in the
late 1990s by an HR employee of widespread problems with sexual
harassment and sexual misconduct of female employees.
"The problem is they protect the wrongdoers," Kelly said. "They
either move the accused perpetrator to either a higher-ranking
position or other locations so they can start over."
james.pinkerton@chron.com
firm KBR, alleging it created a "sexually violent workplace" that
allowed a co-worker to sexually assault her at an Iraqi airbase two
years ago.
The woman, now 28, was attacked by co-worker David C. Breda Jr.
of Pearland while he was helping her move into new quarters at
Camp Al Asad on Oct. 8, 2008. Breda, 35, a former U.S. Army
recruiter who had previously been sanctioned for molesting an
18-year-old female recruit, was sentenced to 24 months in federal
prison in January after he pleaded guilty to assaulting the woman in
Iraq.
The lawsuit in a Harris County state district court is the latest in a
number of claims brought against Houston-based KBR by
employees who say they were attacked by co-workers or others at
jobs in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the first was brought by Jamie
Leigh Jones, formerly of Conroe, who contends she was gang-raped
at a KBR facility in Baghdad in July 2005.
"If you're raising jackals and put a rabbit in the jackal cage, you
can't turn your back and say it's the rabbit's fault the jackals
attacked," said Todd Kelly, who represents the Houston woman,
Jones and four others with claims against KBR. "That's what
they're doing. They put young women right in front of these men
who have gotten away with this for so long and they turn their back.
They do nothing to protect these women."
Heather Browne, a KBR spokeswoman, denied the assertions in the
lawsuit and said KBR's top priority is the safety and security of its
employees. KBR maintains a strong and effective sexual
harassment and assault prevention and reporting program, she said.
KBR denies allegations
"KBR adamantly denies the allegations in (the lawsuit) that sexual
misconduct is encouraged, tolerated, or ignored," Brown said in a
statement released by the company. "KBR responded immediately
to (the) report of inappropriate sexual contact and reported it to
military authorities. KBR also fully cooperated with the criminal
investigation ... "
Last year, an arbitrator in Houston awarded $2.93 million to Tracy
Barker, the wife of an Army sergeant who said she was sexually
assaulted at a KBR-operated camp in Iraq in 2005 by a U.S. State
Department employee. Her attorney was critical when KBR, after
fighting to keep their employee's claims out of a courtroom, sought
to reduce the arbitrator's award.
Kelly is also representing former KBR employee Anna Mayo, 27,
from the Austin area, who says she was beaten, choked unconscious
and raped at KBR barracks at a U.S. base in Balad, Iraq, last
November.
KBR, on its website, disputes many of the allegations made by
Jones, Barker and other female employees who have pending
lawsuits or claims against the company.
Kelly, the Houston attorney, notes KBR was placed on notice in the
late 1990s by an HR employee of widespread problems with sexual
harassment and sexual misconduct of female employees.
"The problem is they protect the wrongdoers," Kelly said. "They
either move the accused perpetrator to either a higher-ranking
position or other locations so they can start over."
james.pinkerton@chron.com
| By JAMES PINKERTON HOUSTON CHRONICLE Oct. 5, 2010, 7:24PM |
| Woman sues KBR, claiming it's at fault for a sexual assault |
| By JAMES PINKERTON HOUSTON CHRONICLE Oct. 5, 2010, 7:24PM |
A co-worker in Iraq convicted of the attack on her