$20-Million Harassment Claim Filed Against City
An Oxnard man has filed a $20-million claim against Thousand Oaks, alleging that he was harassed by co-workers before he was fired from his job as a building inspector.
Kenneth J. Herzstein’s claim charges that he was harassed by seven workers in the city Building and Safety Department, including his supervisor, Director Barry Branagan. The City Council is expected to reject Herzstein’s claim at its meeting Tuesday.
Branagan declined to comment on the claim. But in a memo Branagan filed in November, 1990, which is included in the claim, he described Herzstein as a hostile worker who refused to follow orders on the job.
Herzstein could not be reached for comment.
His wife, Rita, said her husband was fired in August from his $40,000-a-year position after working for the city for 15 years.
Rita Herzstein said her husband filed the multimillion-dollar claim because “we wanted them to notice it.” She said the city owes him for wages he lost after he was fired and compensation for stress-related personal problems caused by the alleged harassment, she said.
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