Holden Accuser ‘Outspoken,’ Witness Says

A longtime employee of Los Angeles City Councilman Nate Holden testified Tuesday that the woman suing him, his boss and the city for sexual harassment was an opinionated receptionist who was sometimes aggressive with men at community events, but also described one of his co-defendants as a “Don Juan” and “Latin lover” type.

Ira Massey, who met Holden at a rally against liquor stores in the mid-1970s and has worked in his council field office since his 1987 election, said he got along well with plaintiff Marlee M. Beyda except for one “ferocious” outburst when he tried to help her with a car problem.

“The next day she was very irate. When I came into the office, she jumped right on me in a ferocious way,” Massey, 63, recalled of the July, 1991, incident in which he tried to remove a piece of metal from Beyda’s gas tank but ended up worsening the situation by pushing the part lower in the tank. “I went down to help the young lady. I was very upset. It stopped me from helping anyone else.”

Beyda has previously testified that Massey belittled her in connection with the gas tank incident, saying that she and all women were stupid and knew little about cars.

Massey was the first witness called by the defense in the non-jury trial, which began a month ago. The plaintiff has one more witness scheduled to testify this morning, and then plans to rest its case.

In describing Beyda’s demeanor, Massey echoed last week’s testimony of a previous witness, co-worker Deron Williams.

“She’s a very outspoken person, very opinionated. If there was something going on she didn’t like, she would speak right up,” Massey testified. “She constantly read books about how to get rich.”

Another witness, retired Holden aide John Frierson, also described Beyda Tuesday as “a very assertive person,” and added, “She was not a shrinking violet.”

Massey offered several anecdotes to support his characterization.

At a Chamber of Commerce luncheon, he said, Beyda approached the group’s president and gave him a card with her home number written on it. A year later, at a birthday party for Holden, he added, Beyda barged to the front of the ballroom to sit by her boss.

“She just walked right in and grabbed herself a seat,” Massey said of the birthday party in June, 1992. “She came in somewhat late and made a mad dash for the councilman’s table. I could see her talking and asking questions of the councilman, interfering with conversation. . . .”

One of four named defendants in Beyda’s harassment and discrimination complaint, Massey also rebutted prior testimony that he and his male colleagues ogled women and made lewd comments about their anatomies while at work.

But he and Frierson both inadvertently supported claims by Beyda and other female workers that defendant Cruz Nunez often kissed women’s hands and cheeks and made love-laced comments to them.

“Mr. Nunez had somewhat of a Don Juan, very cordial, greeting for women,” Massey testified. “He had a very Latin lover approach.” Asked later to elaborate, Massey backed off, saying that he did not really mean “Don Juan” or “Latin lover,” but did not offer any clearer explanation.