It will be dej
à vu all over again when San Benito County Council of
Governments employee Deborah Martinez takes the county to court
sometime next March, alleging sexual harassment by a supervising
county employee.
Hollister – It will be dejà vu all over again when San Benito County Council of Governments employee Deborah Martinez takes the county to court sometime next March, alleging sexual harassment by a supervising county employee.
After being hit with a suit alleging COG’s executive director, Tom Quigley, sexually harassed Martinez over the course of one year, the county has enlisted outside help from lawyer Rick Bolanos. Bolanos is the same lawyer the county used in the sexual harassment suit filed against District Attorney John Sarsfield in August.
Bolanos will be facing off against Bill Marder, who was also the attorney for the two female county employees who accused Sarsfield of sexual harassment in August.
The county made the decision to bring Bolanos, a San Francisco-based lawyer, on board soon after Deborah Martinez filed the suit against Quigley and the county on Nov. 5, Bolanos said. The county has a standing relationship with Bolanos, and it is not uncommon for him to be called in for cases of harassment or labor litigation, he said.
“We do specialize in this area. It’s sort of our area of expertise. But I’ve also had a relationship with the county for some time. If they have a need that they feel requires the kind of representation we provide, then they’ll call us in,” Bolanos said.
Bolanos said he will probably be representing Quigley, whom Martinez is suing for punitive damages. Martinez’s attorney, Marder, said these would include any wages or promotions lost as a result of the alleged harassment.
Darren Bogie, the deputy county counsel, will most likely be representing the county, Bolanos said, although Bogie said he was unable to confirm this Tuesday.
Although Martinez is suing Quigley for punitive damages, she is also suing the county, Marder said. Because COG is a smaller entity of the county, Marder said, the state constitution requires Martinez to sue the county as a whole rather than just COG.
Martinez filed the suit against the county and Quigley on Nov. 5. In it, she alleges Quigley made inappropriate comments and advances towards her throughout the past year, and retaliated when she reported him by yelling at her and stripping her of her title as COG Safety Director.
COG’s board of directors discussed the suit at their meeting last week in closed session, but cannot yet release any information on the case, according to COG Director Tony LoBue.
“A couple of things were decided, but none of them were reportable. You know, closed session,” LoBue said.
The suit is scheduled to go to case management on March 3, when a blueprint of the trial will be established, according to Bogie, but does not yet have a set court date.
This is the second time this year the county has been sued for sexual harassment based on allegations an employee harassed a female subordinate. In August, two women working in District Attorney Sarsfield’s office accused him of having an affair with another female employee, creating a hostile work environment.
Jessica Quandt is a staff writer for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at
jq*****@fr***********.com
.
