Caren Sharpe of Crestwood had sued the St. Louis College District for sexual harassment she suffered in an incident in which a campus police officer aimed an unloaded gun at her.
A jury has awarded $850,000 to Sharpe - $400,000 in compensatory damages for emotional distress and $450,000 in punitive damages.
In February 2004, Sharpe was working as a secretary for the police chief at the Meramec campus in Kirkwood when an officer whom, she said, had sexually harassed her in the past pointed a handgun at her and said, "if I can't have you, no one can," and pulled the trigger. There were no bullets in the gun. The officer, who was later fired, testified the incident was a joke. Sharpe said she took it seriously.
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