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Angelina Pivarnick recently opened up about her sexual harassment lawsuit with the New York Fire Department.
The 34-year-old Jersey Shore: Family Vacation star told co-star Lauren Sorrentino that the two-year ordeal was so bad that she prayed on her way in to work when she was an EMT for FDNY from 2016 to 2018.
According to TooFab, Angelina said that when she started work as an EMT, “right away” lieutenants were saying “disgusting things” to her.
“And literally one of them touched me,” she claimed.
Angelina alleged that a supervisor made physical and verbal sexual advances toward her, while another co-worker asked her questions about her sex life, such as how many guys on Jersey Shore she slept with.
Angelina revealed that after she stood up to a supervisor who touched her behind and vaginal area, she was put on cleanup duty and other undesirable assignments,
“Every time I’d go to work, I’d do the sign of the cross before walking in,” Angelina revealed on the MTV reality show. “It was very hard for me to be in that situation and be the person receiving it. I kept going and I had to say something, I couldn’t take it anymore.”
Angelina ultimately went to a therapist for treatment, but that it was extremely hard for her to talk about. She also explained that she never talked about the situation with her male Jersey Shore co-stars because she felt they wouldn’t understand what she went through.
“The boys, I didn’t really get into it with them because they’re guys, they don’t know how it is to be a woman,” she explained to Lauren.
Angelina Sued the City in 2019 After Filing Multiple Complaints Against Her Male Co-Workers
In 2019, The New York Daily News reported that Angelina sued New York City with allegations that a lieutenant groped her and begged her for sex, and that another sexually harassed her when she worked as an emergency medical technician at the EMS station in Rossville on Staten Island.
In the filing, Angelina alleged that the lieutenant “grabbed and squeezed her buttock … and made contact with her vaginal area,” then gave her undesirable assignments when she defended herself.
She also alleged that a supervisor texted crude messages to her about her body. When she was moved to “light duty” after an injury in 2018, which was the same year the Jersey Shore revival debuted, her supervisor talked to her at work in a vulgar way.
She also named the lieutenant who sent her an onslaught and WhatsApp messages for a period of eight months reportedly wrote, “You still owe me something naughty,” before later inappropriately touching her while in the station parking lot.
Angelina filed multiple complaints against her co-workers as well as a harassment lawsuit against the city.
Angelina Settled the Case for $350,000 in Fall 2020, Shortly Before the 4th Season of ‘Family Vacation’ Premiered
In September 2020, the city of New York settled with Angelina for a sum of $350,000 after fully investigating the claims and taking corrective action against the employees, according to People.
In a statement to the outlet, the Jersey Shore star said she was pleased with the resolution and looked forward to using her platform to speak about the need to protect all women from sexual harassment.
“I said when the case was filed that it had nothing to do with television or entertainment and that remains true,” Angelina said. “Sexual harassment is serious and has devastating consequences for so many women. It has for #MeToo.”
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