Wednesday June 11, 2003
Stephanie Gaskell

The city has agreed to pay a female correction officer $135,000 to settle a sexual harassment suit against a former captain, officials said yesterday.

Virginia Jones, a 41- year-old single mother from Queens, admits to having a consensual relationship with her boss, Capt. Michael Baxter, for several months.

But once she broke it off, he continued to pursue her and changed her post so he could work with her, Jones claimed in a lawsuit.

Jones said Baxter held her against her will in a Rikers Island jail control room and "kissed and fondled her without her consent, spit at her... and told her "'I am going to fix your ass.'" Jones managed to turn on an intercom and transmit a call for help. She claims Baxter then told her, "They won't believe you."

"The problem stems from the top," said her lawyer Phil Taubman. "It's the good-old-boys network over there- they protect one another."

In a statement, the city said it took "appropriate action" in response to Jones's claim. "The case was settled solely for business reasons," the statement said. "The city admitted no wrongdoing whatsoever."

Baxter, who worked for the Correction Department for more than 20 years, has denied any wrongdoing. He retired before the suit was settled. After almost a year on sick leave, Jones is back at work.