Former California employee to get $350K to settle sexual harassment claims against state treasurer

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The state of California has agreed to pay a former employee $350,000 to settle her claims that Democratic state Treasurer Fiona Ma sexually harassed her. The agreement stems from a 2021 lawsuit filed by a former employee of the treasurer’s office. Judith Blackwell had alleged Ma exposed herself and crawled into bed with her when they shared rooms at a hotel and a rental unit. Ma denied the allegations. Ma says she was targeted by “a frivolous lawsuit filed by a disgruntled employee.” A trial had been delayed several times but was scheduled to start in September.