Cain Accuser Filed Complaint at Next Job

The Herman Cain accuser who walked off with $45,000 over what he dismisses as an innocent comment about her height filed a complaint three years later at another federal job. In an effort to gain insight into how Karen Kraushaar responded to workplace conflict, the AP takes a look into the past of the 55-year-old Kraushaar, who has now stepped into the spotlight by publicly calling for all Cain's accusers to step forward. Kraushaar's 2002 claim alleged unfair treatment after her supervisors at the Immigration and Naturalization Service refused to let her work from home after a car accident; it also cited a sexist email forward that a supervisor circulated at work that listed reasons men and women were like computers (in the case of men, "you have to turn them on" to get their attention).

The complaint was handled internally, but Kraushaar initially sought thousands of dollars, a reinstated leave, a promotion worth $12,000 to $16,000 annually, and a Harvard fellowship, according to an anonymous INS supervisor. Kraushaar says she doesn't remember seeking payment, and later took a job at Treasury and dropped the complaint, which she calls "relatively minor." "What you're looking for here is evidence of an employee who is out to get people," she tells the AP. "That's completely untrue." (More Herman Cain 2012 stories.)