Headmaster Suspended in Harassment Suit : La Jolla: Former receptionist says he touched her, made inappropriate comments and asked her for dates.

The headmaster of one of San Diego’s most elite private schools has been suspended by the board of trustees, pending a “full, thorough and fair review” in the wake of allegations that he sexually harassed a former receptionist.

Dr. Sidney C. Smith Jr., president of the 17-member board of La Jolla Country Day School, said Thursday that John C. Littleford, the 47-year-old headmaster who came here from the University School of Milwaukee in 1990, will, for the time being, continue to be paid.

“He’s still headmaster,” Smith said. “And so, he will continue to receive all of his current support.”

Lisa R. Gordon, a 23-year-old UC Davis student now living in Sacramento, filed suit in San Diego County Superior Court last October, alleging that, during her time at Country Day, Littleford repeatedly touched her, made inappropriate comments and pressured her for dates.

Gordon’s suit asks for damages of more than $25,000.

“Never happened,” Littleford said then of Gordon’s allegations, including her contention that he asked to have a sexual relationship with her. “Not in my wildest nightmares could I imagine that the headmaster of an independent school would say that to a member of the staff, whom he barely knew at all.”

Smith issued a carefully worded statement Thursday, saying the school “is committed to preserving the environment of academic excellence” and that the suspension is being undertaken to “facilitate smooth and effective administrative function.”

“It’s a personnel issue,” Smith said later, in an interview. “I think in fairness to everyone involved that it would be inappropriate to comment on specific aspects at this time. We’re looking into his overall performance and assessing the current situation.”

Littleford came to the 906-student school, which charges $7,740 a year for upper-division students, during a time of great turmoil.

He succeeded Timothy Burns, who resigned as headmaster in 1989 after a controversy surrounding the departure of Sharon Rogers, a popular fourth-grade teacher and wife of Will Rogers III, skipper of the guided-missile cruiser Vincennes. It was Will Rogers’ ship that in July of 1988 shot down an Iranian civilian airliner, killing all 290 people aboard.

Fearing a terrorist attack, Burns refused to let Rogers return to work after a homemade bomb destroyed her van one morning, a move that drew criticism even from President Bush.

Sources at the school say the board is reviewing not only Littleford’s performance at Country Day but also his record of employment at the University School of Milwaukee.

James Connelly, the attorney for the University School of Milwaukee, declined to discuss Littleford, saying Thursday: “I cannot confirm or deny anything in any form. It’s just not something I can comment on at this time.”

Smith, the current board president at Country Day, said the school and Littleford--co-defendants in the sexual-harassment action--were formally served with the suit in January.

Gloria de Aragon Andujar, the former board president who championed Littleford’s hiring, resigned shortly thereafter. Neither Littleford nor Andujar could be reached for comment late Thursday.

In Sacramento, Gordon, the former receptionist who filed the sexual harassment suit against Littleford and Country Day, said late Thursday she was “very happy” with the school’s action but that it was too long in coming.

“I think that this whole entire court battle could have been avoided if they (school trustees) had listened to me in the beginning, when I talked to them,” said Gordon, a political science major.

“It’s my opinion that it took far too long, but I am happy with what’s happening right now,” she said.

Gordon added, however, that Littleford’s suspension won’t be enough for her to drop her lawsuit. She has yet to accept a settlement from the school.

“I’ve had a lot of stress and put a lot of time and effort into this entire thing, into making my case,” she said. “Most people would have said, ‘Forget about it.’ It’s been very difficult for me.”

Gordon also filed a complaint last October with the state’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing. When she resigned from the school in June after seven months as a receptionist, Gordon sent a three-page letter to the board of trustees, detailing her harassment claims and asking the board to investigate.

In October, then-board president Andujar said the board supported Littleford unequivocally and that a settlement offer of $40,000 from Gordon’s attorney had been rejected. At the time, Andujar said Littleford was guilty of “no wrongdoing.”

Smith, the current board president, said Thursday that “the normal discovery process is under way” in connection with Gordon’s suit, “and we’re hoping it can be resolved in the very near future.”

Granberry reported from San Diego and Frammolino from Sacramento.