Oxnard Accountant Accused of Harassment

An Oxnard accountant has been named in a $3-million lawsuit alleging that he sexually harassed and assaulted an employee for six months until she was forced to quit.

The complaint against David M. Daggett also alleges that he continued to sexually harass Connie Ornelas by phone at her next job after she had stopped working for him.

Daggett said Ornelas was a disgruntled former employee and he denied ever assaulting or harassing the woman.

“This is a total shock to me,” he said. “It’s outlandish. I’m totally befuddled about how an individual who was a very good employee could get so upset over leaving my employment.”

Ornelas and her husband, Steve Ornelas, filed the suit last week in Ventura County Superior Court, asking a judge to award them $1.5 million in general damages and another $1.5 million in punitive damages. It also seeks court costs, legal fees and other damages.

According to the suit, Ornelas worked for Daggett between May, 1989, and September, 1993, when she finally was forced to quit. The alleged harassment did not begin until March, 1993, the suit said.

Daggett repeatedly “engaged in a course of conduct attempting to sexually seduce his female employees,” according to the suit.

It also contends that Daggett at one point picked up Ornelas and ran with her down a hall into his office. On another occasion, the suit said, Daggett pulled the woman onto his lap.

Attorney Steve Pell, who represents the woman and her husband, could not be reached for comment.