The Chief Executive Officer at Pacific Office Automation who left amid an explosive sexual harassment scandal quietly settled a lawsuit This month featured allegations from two salespeople claiming they were subjected to repeated harassment and abuse.
The conditions outlined in the pact between Doug Pitassi , the former CEO , and the information about the former employees is kept confidential.
Initially, the men were demanding a sum of $20.5 million as punitive damages. Attempts to get comments from their attorney via email went unanswered.
Stephen English, who represents Pitassi, likewise refused to comment.
"According to the conditions of the agreement, all involved parties are prohibited from making statements about the settlement," English stated on Thursday.
Pacific Office Automation stated they were not involved in the settlement and did not provide any funds to settle the matter.
"Mr. Pitassi does not hold any position at POA. He began an unpaid leave in October, and his employment with the company ended in 2024," stated Andrew Salgado, who serves as the Beaverton-based firm’s general counsel.
This pact marks the most recent resolution Pitassi has made with individuals who formerly served under him at the firm and subsequently claimed they were subjected to sexual misconduct by him.
In 2022, Pitassi provided almost $2 million to a previous worker to resolve claims of misconduct through a non-disclosure pact. This employee, Colin McCarthy, subsequently informed The Oregonian/OregonLive about inappropriate behavior from Pitassi, alleging unwanted touching during work functions and private moments when he was sometimes intoxicated, attempts to engage in sexual activity with him, and masturbation in his presence.
Pitassi denied the claims.
In 2022, Pitassi and the organization reached settlements for two additional allegations of unclear misconduct; however, the details of these agreements remained undisclosed.
The legal case, initiated in 2023, was permitted to move forward using pseudonyms for the previous staff members as well as for Pitassi and Pacific Office Automation. This decision marked an unusual departure from customary public courtroom practices.
The suit included sufficient specifics for The Oregonian/OregonLive to pinpoint Pitassi and the corporation as defendants; additionally, a journalist attended an initial court proceeding where Pitassi was named.
As stated in the legal complaint, one individual claimed that the mistreatment started towards the end of 2014 and persisted until 2022; the second person asserted that the harassment commenced in 2018 and extended into the subsequent year. Each was recruited immediately after graduating from university and served in sales roles.
One of the individuals claimed that Pitassi allegedly mistreated him on several occasions, which included an incident following a 2014 sales conference at Punchbowl Social in Portland. During this event, both he and Pitassi consumed a shot of liquor. He stated that afterward, he became disoriented and could not recall events clearly. Later, he found himself awake in a hotel room with Pitassi, having no recollection of how they arrived there or what transpired, and felt powerless.
The lawsuit claims that Pitassi engaged in oral sex with him without his permission. According to the suit, the man remembered hearing Pitassi say "it's okay" just before he became unconscious.
The second person bringing the lawsuit alleged that Pitassi used his "authority and clout" to sexually assault and harass him over approximately 20 instances starting from autumn 2018. This individual recounted how Pitassi would grab his rear end and put his arm around him.
Pitassi, who has served as a senior POA executive since 1997 and assumed the role of CEO in 2018, was never accused of any criminal activity.
Among Oregon's biggest privately owned businesses, Pacific Office Automation deals in office equipment and provides technical services. The company has approximately 1,400 employees spread across 33 locations in almost a dozen states.
The business stands out in Oregon due to its significant sponsorship of prominent sports teams such as the Portland Trail Blazers and Portland Timbers, along with its collaborations with various high school sports associations and events.
After The Oregonian/OregonLive published their report, Pacific Office Automation took over for Pitassi during the previous fall. Regarding the series of sexual misconduct allegations made against him And the corporation’s wild party atmosphere.
Adam Pritchett, who has been with the company for a long time as a manager, took over from Pitassi.
At the significant yearly sales kick-off held in January in Portland, all mentions of Pitassi—including his lengthy tenure with the organization—were removed from the presentation materials, and he went unmentioned throughout the proceedings. This gathering attracted numerous staff members from various locations across the western part of the country to review last year’s sales performance and set objectives for the upcoming year.
The opening ceremony was the first one in several years that didn’t include Pitassi, aged 63, who became part of Pacific Office Automation back in 1989 and has served as both its president since 2007 and CEO since 2018.
Pitassi initially joined the company amid controversy.
In the 1980s, when Pitassi was teaching at a high school in Gresham, he confessed to exposing himself to a teenager and touching another student improperly. Following his admission of guilt to misdemeanor charges, a court ordered him to serve five years of probation.
During the launch event, Pritchett, who previously managed the firm’s Arizona branch, expressed gratitude towards his family and coworkers but didn’t comment on the situation leading to his advancement.
The conference's main theme was "One Team, One Dream," with leaders from Pacific Office Automation emphasizing the significance of collaborative efforts towards achieving the organization's strategic objectives.
Pacific Office Automation announced that their 2024 revenues amounted to $491 million, representing a 7% increase over the previous year.
Pritchett’s key points incorporated guidance sourced from celebrities in Hollywood and athletes, covering subjects such as responsibility and achievement.
The key aspect of accountability is avoiding self-justifications and excusing others," he addressed the audience. "It can be quite simple to point fingers at times. To tell the truth, we all recognize that there's substantial space for enhancement within us.
— Noelle Crombie is an enterprise journalist specializing in criminal justice issues. You can reach her at 503-276-7184; [email protected]
— Mike Rogoway Covers Oregon's technology sector and its impact on the state economy. Contact him at [email protected] or 503-294-7699.
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