An Ohio firefighter and emergency medical technician has been awarded $1.7 million after suing her former, father-figure boss over allegations of sexual harassment and abuse.
Rebekah Huskey-Archacki, 35, filed a lawsuit in 2023 against fire chief Kent Johnson, 68, accusing him of groping, repeated sexual assaults and harassment. The allegations included offensive text messages about putting face masks down her pants.
Johnson was sentenced to six months in jail in the criminal case. Huskey-Archacki’s civil lawsuit was settled at the Henry County Courthouse in Napoleon, Ohio, about 45 miles southwest of Toledo, with her receiving $1.7 million.
Attorney Subodh Chandra said Huskey-Archacki also faced “broader retaliation and efforts to undermine the investigation.” The treatment ultimately forced her to leave the job she had described as her dream position in 2024.
According to the complaint, Huskey-Archacki had known Johnson since she was seven and regarded him as a second father.
The complaint said Johnson often called her his “sweet, beautiful, special Emma,” a reference to his granddaughter, while Huskey-Archacki frequently referred to him as “dad.”
Huskey-Archacki worked as a firefighter and EMT for the City of Port Clinton fire department until Johnson reassigned her, against her wishes, to serve as his personal secretary.
After Huskey-Archacki gave birth in 2021, the filings allege that Johnson made a series of inappropriate advances. He reportedly asked whether he could watch her pump breast milk, rubbed her back and shoulders, and told her that her breasts “look amazing.”
Rebekah Huskey-Archacki received a $1.7 million settlement after filing a federal lawsuit alleging that her boss repeatedly sexually harassed her.
Huskey-Archacki said becoming a firefighter and EMT was her dream, and that she tried to remain on Johnson’s good side to protect her position.
Johnson served as fire chief at the department where Huskey-Archacki worked.
The original complaint also alleged that Johnson repeatedly asked Huskey-Archacki for lewd photographs, called to ask what she was wearing and made sexual comments about her feet when she wore open-toed shoes at work.
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Huskey-Archacki further alleged that Johnson took her phone without her knowledge, accessed private images showing her partially or fully exposed, and copied them to his own phone without permission.
Court documents said Johnson photographed the images with his phone and uploaded them to the cloud, allowing them to be accessed from other devices. Investigators with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations recovered the photographs.
BCI investigators also found photographs of women breastfeeding in Johnson’s Google Drive account. The discovery supported Huskey-Archacki’s claim that his remarks about her breastfeeding had been sexually charged.
Video footage shown in court indicated that Johnson lied several times about how he obtained the photographs and why he had them.
Court documents said Huskey-Archacki repeatedly told Johnson she was not interested in a romantic or sexual relationship. She also tried to avoid provoking him because she feared losing her job.
Kent Johnson pleaded no contest to five misdemeanors and one felony in connection with allegations that he sexually harassed an employee he had known since she was seven.
Huskey-Archacki’s attorneys released screenshots of text messages to support her allegations against Johnson.
Johnson regularly sent Huskey-Archacki suggestive text messages and voicemails.
Huskey-Archacki was awarded $1.7million in a settlement after three years of litigation
Huskey-Archacki resigned on May 27, 2024.
Johnson pleaded no contest to five misdemeanors and a felony in April 2025, according to The Toledo Blade.
According to the outlet, Johnson will pay the city a restitution fee of $4,000 in four installments.
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