Ex-Humane Society Worker Alleges Harassment : Courts: Former operations manager claims she was fired from job because she complained of sexual discrimination, intimidation by her supervisor.

A lawsuit filed by a former employee of the Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA alleges the organization’s board of directors wrongfully terminated her to silence her complaints of sexual harassment and sex discrimination.

Susan C. Niemeyer, who served as operations manager at the society from April, 1990, until October of this year, claims that she was stalked and harassed for more than two years by her boss, society executive director Steven R. McNall, after she broke off an affair with him in 1991.

Niemeyer also claims the society’s board of directors knew of McNall’s alleged harassment, did nothing to discipline him, and instead fired her in an attempt to stop her from making any further claims of abuse.

“This lawsuit was an absolute last resort,” Niemeyer told The Times. “That job meant everything to me. But I spent two years trying to get the board to act, and then I finally realized the board was not going to do anything, so I filed the lawsuit.”

Humane society officials said Niemeyer’s allegations are unfounded. Board Vice President John W. Russell released a statement from the society that read in part, “We believe any allegations of discrimination will be found to be without merit. Therefore we have no intention of engaging in any media exchange over allegations that we believe to be unfounded and only serve to divert us from our true mission, the welfare of animals.”

McNall said he had not seen the complaint and could not comment. McNall, Russell and Board President Thomas C. Waterman are named as co-defendants. The suit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Dec. 14. Russell said the society was served with a copy of the complaint last week.

Niemeyer, who as operations manager was the society’s second-in-command under McNall, said she felt forced into an affair with McNall in July, 1990, three months after she began working at the animal shelter. “It was a power thing,” she said. “I felt that if I did not do what he wanted, I would lose my job.”

She said she attempted to break off the affair in February, 1991, but McNall allegedly told her he was going to divorce his wife and would make sure the board of directors never learned of their activities.

When Niemeyer finally told McNall she no longer wanted to continue their affair in June, 1991, the harassment and discrimination began, the lawsuit said.

McNall trailed her to restaurants and movies, racked up hundreds of dollars in after-hours calls on his company-owned cellular phone and once followed her and a date home and began pounding on the door of her condominium, the lawsuit said.

The complaint said McNall repeatedly yelled abusive names at Niemeyer while she was at work and once threw her out of the office and took away her keys in August.

Niemeyer said she began talking to board members as early as November, 1991. She said she went to Russell, who was then president of the board, and told him about McNall’s harassment, though she did not mention their affair.

Russell said he could not comment on whether Niemeyer had talked to him about McNall because the society’s attorney, Linda Deacon, has the flu and had not yet seen the complaint.

Deacon confirmed she had not seen the complaint but added she was certain the society would fight Niemeyer’s allegations. Deacon works in the Los Angeles office of the St. Louis-based law firm of Bryan Cave.

The suit states Niemeyer sent a letter to the board members in September that detailed allegations of McNall’s harassment, and that she also filed complaints of sexual and retaliatory discrimination against the society and McNall, Russell and Waterman with the state Department of Fair Employment and Housing in October. The state agency confirmed it received those complaints.