Sexual harassment case against RCMP officer moving ahead

LOWER MAINLAND (NEWS 1130) – It’s taken almost seven years, but a retired RCMP constable suing the force and her former supervisor for harassment is closer to having her case go to trial.

More legal action has been filed involving claims of abuse dating back to 2009. Susan Gastaldo was part a Lower Mainland undercover surveillance unit at the time, and claims she was forced to have sex with her supervisor when they were both working in the Lower Mainland. Gastaldo was medically discharged in January 2018.

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Her lawyer Walter Kosteckyj says lawyers for the federal government now have 90 days to respond to updated allegations, including some uncovered by Freedom of Information requests.

“There were false suicide rumours that were circulated about Susan and she asked that the matter be investigated and the investigation of that matter was troubling because it was never brought to fruition and how that was handled was problematic,” he said.

However, there’s still a chance they could settle out of court.

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“Hopefully, the federal government will choose to think about mediating this matter and moving it forward. Otherwise, it’s on to the courtroom,” he says. “Anybody who’s been to court will tell you it’s not an enjoyable experience –very time consuming, very stressful, confrontational in nature.”

Gastaldo was part of a 2017 review recommending changes in how the RCMP treats women.

The supervisor accused of abusing her, Travis Pearson, is still a Staff Sergeant with the force.

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