Superior Court Judge Matthew C. Braner noted yesterday he’s likely to terminate the sexual harassment lawsuit former Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) employee Grecia Figueroa filed against then-County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, indicating the plaintiff destroyed evidence in the case.
Judge Braner wrote that Figueroa “engaged in a pattern of preserving only the evidence she believed was helpful to her case, while actively deleting, or knowingly allowing to be deleted, evidence that was likely detrimental to her claims,” while she additionally “engaged in this conduct while under a duty to preserve evidence.”
Keep in mind that no one, Fletcher included, is claiming there was no inappropriate relationship between the two. Fletcher has acknowledged as much.
Clearly, however, Figueroa’s argument that Fletcher used his position and authority as an MTS board member to harass her while she was employed by the agency is severely undermined.
Public officials can learn a few significant lessons from this saga:
1) When on any public agency board, be careful how you interact with employees;
2) When interacting with employees, ensure you are never alone with them;
3) Take your mandated anti-harassment training seriously;
4) Always consider public perception;
And, oh yeah — most importantly — don’t cheat on your spouse and stuff like that.