Lawyer Accused of Sexual Harassment Says Testosterone Meds Made Him Do It
A Kansas lawyer accused of sexually harassing five judicial assistants over a two-year period claimed that a medication he was taking for low testosterone levels made him do it.
Chauncey M. Depew, who does criminal and traffic defense work, told the court that a testosterone medication he had been taking had made him aggressive, excitable, nervous, agitated and depressed. Depew also said that he didn’t view his behavior as wrong because he was friends with most of the women he was accused of harassing and was only joking around.
Neither excuse seemed to carry much weight with the Supreme Court of Kansas, which issued a one-year suspension to Depew Aug. 6, according to a report on Kansas City TV station WDAF.
The court also ordered Depew to obtain psychological treatment for his depression and write letters of apology to the assistants and the judges for whom they work.
However, one dissenting judge questioned whether the punishment was too light, considering that Depew himself admitted at times he knew he had crossed the line.
Depew, who also served occasionally as a municipal court judge, was accused of leaving a note on one woman’s desk saying he wanted to lick her butt. He asked another woman to expose her breasts. He sent a picture of his genitals in a text message to a third woman.
