Secretary in Sex Harassment Suit Files Retaliation Claim

A secretary in Pasadena’s Department of Water and Power, whose recent claim of sexual harassment against a high-ranking official there led to his demotion, has sued the city, making new allegations that its top brass retaliated against her after she filed the complaint.

Attorneys for Kathleen Thompson, 54, a DWP legal secretary, served the suit against the city Thursday, alleging that for the last eight years Henry Lee, assistant general manager of operations, routinely subjected her to sexual remarks, jokes and touching as her complaints were ignored.

Reiterating accusations made in a claim filed in July, the suit alleges that the harassment and battery culminated in March when Lee grabbed her knee and asked for sex.

The suit also makes new allegations that DWP General Manager Rufus Hightower and other top officials retaliated directly after she filed a complaint with the city’s Affirmative Action and Diversity Office in April. Her workload allegedly was increased.

In addition, the suit alleges that Hightower berated Lance Charles, director of affirmative action, after he distributed fliers in the DWP and other departments that warned against sexual harassment.

That came after an investigation by Charles’ department found other women who complained that Lee touched them inappropriately. In an interview Lee admitted to touching Thompson’s buttocks, the suit alleges.

In May, Charles recommended that Lee be suspended for six months without pay and be demoted, but the DWP official remained on paid leave from May to August when, at an internal hearing, Hightower decided to demote Lee and give him a one-month suspension that ran until this week, the suit said.