Female helpline staffers launch lawsuit after harassment from callers

DENVER ( KDVR ) — Six women are naming Rocky Mountain Crisis Partners in a lawsuit alleging that they did not receive proper protection from being racially and sexually harassed by callers and were wrongfully terminated.

Rocky Mountain Crisis Partners ran Colorado’s nonprofit, 988 mental health line, since 2011 but the state ended its contract in April. An out-of-state vendor is running the helpline now.

Former staffer, Myriah Montoya-Gallegos who now works in another state, told NewsNation affiliate KDVR that when she answered a call in August 2023 she knew something was wrong.

“Thirty seconds into the call it’s like, okay this person is exploiting this line and using it for like their own perverted reasons,” she said.

Montoya-Gallegos says the caller tried to tell an explicit story to her. The trend is called “Sex Grat” where callers abuse and take advantage of those who are there to listen and counsel those in need on suicide helplines and other assistance resources.

“They’re clogging up the lines for folks that really do need it,” said Montoya-Gallegos.

The women targeted by the callers described the comments as disgusting and racist.

“I told him I’m sorry this is not the line for you. You need to stop calling,” Montoya-Gallegos said.

The attorney representing the case told KDVR that workers need to be allowed to discontinue the calls.

“Our clients were basically held as a captive audience for these abusive callers and because of that, they weren’t permitted to autonomously terminate the phone calls. They were required to endure the abuse,” attorney Raymond Bryant told KDVR.

Montoya-Gallegos said she’s coming forward to encourage all organizations that offer helplines to maintain policies that protect workers for the sake of everyone involved.

“It’s the clients that really need us that suffer for that,” she said.

Montoya-Gallegos said she now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after coping with the ongoing harassment.

KDVR reached out to Rocky Mountain Crisis Partners two times on Tuesday and to state employees as well. KDVR has not yet received a response.

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