Lisa Shelkrot Obtains Significant Settlement in Sexual Harassment Suit

Langrock attorney Lisa Shelkrot has obtained a significant settlement in a well-publicized sexual harassment lawsuit. Inntopia, a tech firm based in Stowe, has agreed to pay $60,000 to Langrock’s client, Alison Miley, and accept a judgment against the company for the alleged sexual misconduct of a top executive. The court has also ruled that Inntopia pay Miley’s legal fees.

Ms. Miley, a communications professional based in Stowe, says she was interviewing for PR contract work in October 2016 at Inntopia when its COO, Craig DeLuca, brought her into an office, locked the door, and propositioned her for sex. Miley declined and tried to safely leave the office.

Miley accused DeLuca of continuing to solicit sex from her in phone calls, emails, and texts. The civil suit alleged that her refusal of the COO’s sexual advances were a factor in Inntopia’s decision not to hire her, and that Craig DeLuca and others at Inntopia promoted a culture in which sexual harassment was “explicitly condoned, supported, tolerated, forgiven and/or hidden from public view.” Inntopia did not admit or deny the allegations in a filing with the court.

Miley said the judgment, payment, and attorney’s fees are “an important victory.” “I’m pleased to have prevailed in my lawsuit for sexual harassment, false imprisonment, and other violations of the Civil Rights Act against Inntopia and Craig DeLuca, and confirm the Defendants are being held accountable,” Miley said in a statement. “But there is still much work to be done. The payoff to enablers cannot be greater than the value in supporting victims.”