Federal Jury Clears Angels in Lawsuit

A federal jury today unanimously rejected all claims of a former California Angels employee who said she had been persecuted because of her Latina heritage, sexually harassed and fired when she complained.

The five-man, three-woman jury, who took three days to deliberate, decided the woman was not credible, said juror Robert Wentzel of Tustin, who spoke outside the courtroom after the verdict.

“For the majority of people, that was the most important point,” Wentzel said.

Natalia Sweeney, 54, of Orange had accused supervisors and colleagues in the baseball team’s marketing department of making bigoted remarks and vulgar sexual comments and gestures toward her.

A former administrative assistant, Sweeney contended she was fired in November, 1992, after three years of employment because she took her complaints to the state Department of Fair Employment and Housing.

But Wentzel said Sweeney’s believability was badly damaged by testimony from a former supervisor who said she was fired from her job at UCI Medical Center for being a poor employee and for failing to get along with other employees.

“Her supervisor there said she was causing trouble and it jibed with what employees at the California Angels were saying,” Wentzel said.

The ball team’s attorney, Neil Andrus, had argued that Sweeney fabricated the complaints because she was unable to accept any criticism on the job.

Andrus said he was glad that the reputations of Angels employees had been restored by the verdict in their favor.

“I’m just sorry it took so much time and effort,” he said.

Attorney Michael Colmenares, who had sought $250,000 in compensatory damages for Sweeney, said he was disappointed.

“Despite the jury’s decision, I remain firmly convinced that atrocious acts did occur,” he said.

Outside the courtroom, a tearful Sweeney called the verdict a “terrible injustice.”

Colmenares declined to say whether he plans to appeal.