A Solano County Superior Court jury awarded more than $1 million Monday to a former state prison correctional officer who had sued over sexual harassment she endured while employed at Vacaville's two prisons.

Shawnee Underwood charged in her lawsuit that she had endured a pattern of harassment and inappropriate actions that began shortly after she began working at California State Prison, Solano in 2001.

The harassment came for a few months from her supervisor, Ray Blackwell, the suit said, until Underwood transferred next door to California Medical Facility in 2002.

But the problem continued with Blackwell sending letters, and gifts and telling others he was having an affair with Underwood, according to testimony during the trial.

Underwood said when she complained, she endured retaliation.

"I filed a complaint in 2002 and that led to an investigation," Underwood explained via telephone on Tuesday. "The investigation was basically botched and they retaliated with a two-year investigation of me, saying I was dishonest and had made false allegations against an officer." Later, she received a letter from her warden saying no further action would be taken.

"Nothing occurred," Underwood said. "People need someplace to go when there is harassment. ... They need to stop doing this. They spend millions of dollars each year on sexual harassment cases. ...They spent hundreds of thousands of dollars fighting me, and all I did was go forward."

State corrections attorneys had argued at trial that Underwood was in a consensual affair with Blackwell but the jury rejected the claim in its 9-3 verdict.

The jury ruled that Underwood had been subjected to unwarranted harassing conduct so severe that a reasonable female would have considered the environment to be hostile or abusive. The ruling inlcluded an award of $1,025,684.

Underwood, who has since left the corrections department, said she was pleased with the verdict and hopes it will help prevent future harassment.

"If it saves one person from having to go through this, then I feel vindicated," she said. "This has been five and a half years of my life."

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