SIMI VALLEY : Ex-Custodian’s Suit Alleges Harassment

A former custodian for the Simi Valley Unified School District filed a lawsuit Tuesday in Ventura County Superior Court against the district and her former boss claiming she was sexually harassed, fondled and wrongly fired.

Susan Marie Miller of Simi Valley alleges custodial supervisor Rexford Leong grabbed her, asked for kisses and commented on her body during her employment.

Miller was “subjected to severe discrimination and sexual battery which created a hostile working environment that resulted in plaintiff’s termination,” the lawsuit alleges.

The lawsuit contends that Leong, named as a co-defendant in the case, was “overly friendly” toward Miller from the beginning of her employment, which ran from December, 1989, to June, 1992. The suit claims Miller filed several complaints against Leong with his and her superiors, but nothing was done. It also alleges that complaints against Leong and the school district to the state Department of Fair Employment and Housing were closed without being resolved.

Sylvia J. Simmons, the Woodland Hills attorney who filed the claim on Miller’s behalf, could not be reached for comment Tuesday. District Supt. Robert W. Purvis declined to comment on the suit late Tuesday. Leong could not be reached for comment.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for “severe emotional distress,” lost wages and benefits, and medical care. It also seeks attorneys’ fees, suit costs and general damages.