A sexual harassment complaint reportedly has been filed against Boston's chief of health and human services, who has been on paid administrative leave since late July.
The Boston Globe reports a woman who worked for Felix G. Arroyo is accusing him of spanking her, making inappropriate comments that were sexual in nature and grabbing her by the back of her neck after he learned she was going ahead with filing a formal complaint.
The complaint was filed on Thursday with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, according to the Globe. The female employee claims that after she met with human resources, she was moved to a different department.
Arroyo's chief of staff and Mayor Marty Walsh are also reportedly named in the complaint.
City officials are conducting an internal investigation into Arroyo, who has been on leave since July 28. But the reason he was placed on leave had not been explained by the city.
"These allegations are intolerable and disturbing. We take the safety and well-being of our employees very seriously and we are working to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible," the mayor's office said in a statement.
Arroyo was not available for comment Tuesday. A spokesperson said in a statement that he met with investigators last week and is "adamant that these allegations are baseless and retaliatory."
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"We have reason to believe that as of Thursday the complainant knew of components of Chief Arroyo's testimony from the day before and went to MCAD as an act of retaliation," Arroyo's spokesperson, Colette Phillips, said. "There is a process and Chief Arroyo is cooperating with the process."
She asked that the public not "rush to judgement" until the investigation is completed.
Arroyo, a former Boston City Councilor, was one of several candidates who ran against Walsh for mayor in 2013. He was named by Walsh to head up the Health and Human Services Department in January 2014.
