County Weighs Award in Alleged Harassment Case

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will vote Tuesday whether to award $254,000 to a secretary who alleges she was sexually harassed for five years by the former chairman of the Los Angeles County Mental Health Commission.

Kathy Raymundo accused Alexander Aloia of frequently touching her between 1994 and 1999 and once asking her to “come here and put your hands in my pocket,” according to a lawsuit filed in 2001 in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Raymundo also alleged that Aloia, in 1999, tried to get her fired because she would not submit to his advances. She left her job on a medical leave that same year.

Aloia, 83, denied Raymundo’s allegations on Friday evening. “It was an employee who was with me for many years. I was totally surprised by the allegations,” he said.

Nonetheless, attorneys for the county and a law firm contracted by the county have recommended that the board accept the settlement. The supervisors generally agree to such requests.

“We don’t believe” the allegations, said Owen Gallagher, the county’s principal deputy counsel. He said the settlement was recommended because of the uncertainty of what would happen if the case went in front of a jury.

The county fears that Raymundo would likely seek nearly $2.4 million in court, according to an analysis of the case in December by the county claims board.

Raymundo could not be reached for comment Friday. Gary Stern, one of the attorneys who worked on her case, said he could not discuss details.

Aloia, a longtime professor of psychology and counseling at Loyola Marymount University, said he was originally appointed to the commission in 1977. He served on the commission until 2001, with his last appointment coming from Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke in 1998.

The commission advises the Board of Supervisors on policy issues and largely consists of members of the public. Though Aloia was not employed by the county, it is legally responsible for his actions because the alleged harassment occurred while he served on the panel.

Raymundo began working for the commission in June 1994. She alleges that Aloia almost immediately began harassing her, according to court documents.

Raymundo said Aloia made inappropriate comments of a sexual nature and often told crude jokes about sex and marriage. She also claimed he squeezed her arms, hands, neck and face in suggestive ways.

Aloia was not reappointed to the commission in 2001 after Burke learned that he was being investigated for alleged harassment, said John Hill, the supervisor’s chief of staff.