TACOMA, Wash. -- A Tacoma woman who was the victim of a predatory mailman has filed suit against the United States Postal Service and several of its managers.
According to the lawsuit, USPS received complaints from at least a dozen women about letter carrier Robert J. Taitano.
According to the suit, in spite of complaints that Taitano grabbed women, entered homes and made sexual comments, USPS kept him on a mail route.
The suit was filed by Meosha Turner, who said that she found Taitano inside her home in August 2014. He entered through her front door while Turner was in the bathroom. When questioned by Turner about why he was in the house, Taitano didn’t have an answer.
“At that point, I was so much in shock I couldn’t get out words. I couldn’t do it,” Turner told KING 5. “I started yelling and screaming and telling him to get out.”
She said he didn’t move until she reached for a nearby knife.
Turner called Tacoma police. When a detective investigated, he uncovered USPS complaint files dating back to 2002 in which a salon owner, a store clerk and two apartment managers accused Taitano of harassing and touching them.
The suit says USPS managers rarely took action in the face of all the complaints. The suit says USPS did try to fire Taitano in 2004, but a Dispute Resolution Team gave Taitano his job back.
Turner’s attorney, Kevin Hastings of Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala, says Taintano was returned a mail route and continued to harass and sexually assault female customers.
Hastings says records show twelve women filed complaints against Taitano is his 14-year postal career.
In July 2015, Taitano was sent to prison for assault with sexual motivation and criminal trespass for entering Turner’s house.
Taitano is now a level 2 registered sex offender living in Tacoma.
USPS spokesman Ernie Swanson said he couldn’t comment on the case because of the pending litigation.
“I’ve received no response from them. No apology. Not anything,” said Turner, explaining that the lack of remorse convinced her to file suit against the agency.
