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	Catholic Diocese Ordered to Pay Former Employees By Kim Skornogoski Great Falls Tribune [Great Falls MT] January 3, 2007 http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070103/NEWS01/701030307/1002 The state labor department recently ordered the Catholic Diocese of Great Falls-Billings to pay nearly $420,000 to two former St. Luke's the Evangelist Catholic Church employees who said they faced retaliation when they complained about the parish priest accessing pornographic Web sites. Friday's decision follows more than two years of complaints and appeals before the state Human Rights Bureau. The state ordered the diocese to begin making monthly payments to the ex-employees on Feb. 1. However, the case already has been appealed to state District Court. Veteran business administrator and Christian education director Donna Wilson and secretary-bookkeeper Lynn Schumacher discovered that Father Patrick Zabrocki looked at pornographic sites on the church computer in January 2002. For the next two years, the women were barraged with e-mails selling sex-related products. Wilson and Schumacher took their complaints to the diocese, which attempted to block the e-mails and supported Zabrocki, who remains head of St. Luke's Parish. By late 2003, Wilson and Schumacher were presented with substantially revised job descriptions — their duties, hours and pay were reduced. Church officials maintain that they didn't know about the continuing e-mails and that they investigated and responded to the complaints with sincerity and compassion for the women. Wilson and Schumacher both left their jobs at the church and, in the fall of 2004, filed a complaint with the Human Rights Bureau. While a hearing examiner dismissed the lawsuit, the Human Rights Commission, which has higher authority, reversed the decision and ordered that damages be determined. That dollar figure broke down to $281,000 for Wilson and $138,000 for Schumacher, including $100,000 compensation for emotional distress to each employee. The remaining money was for lost wages. The state also ordered the church to conduct employee training to prevent further hostile work situations. Greg Hatley, an attorney for the diocese, said the church continues to be sensitive to employees' complaints and is constantly educating employees to what is inappropriate and discriminatory behavior. The employees' lawyer, Elizabeth Best, said the women are pleased that the Human Rights Commission recognized their grievance, but declined to comment further.
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