Ventura County Official Alleges She Was Harassed by Her Boss

A senior Ventura County government employee has sued the county, saying she endured a hostile work environment after allegedly spurning the sexual advances of 70-year-old former County Administrator Harry Hufford.

Terry Dryer, 51, said she was forced to take a stress leave from her position as chief deputy administrative officer in February because, she alleged, Hufford had become critical and verbally abusive toward her.

His attitude toward her changed after she turned down his repeated requests to meet him alone after working hours, Dryer alleges in court documents.

Dryer further alleges that Hufford retaliated by taking away important job assignments and was demeaning toward her in front of other senior managers.

When she complained to the county’s Human Resources Department, it took no action, Dryer states in a complaint filed last month. Shortly after, she went on disability leave, said Dryer’s attorney, Donald M. Adams.

“It was the boss who was doing it,” he said. “She had nowhere to go but out.”

The lawsuit names the county and Hufford as defendants. Dryer is seeking $1 million to compensate for lost earnings through age 65 and other unspecified damages.

County Counsel Frank Sieh called the suit “meritless” and said the county will “do everything possible to defeat it.”

Hufford, a Pasadena resident, could not be reached for comment.

Sieh declined to detail the county’s position, citing Dryer’s right to privacy. But he said that Dryer has not been fired and that her job remains open if she wants to return to work.

The county is investigating Dryer’s claim that Human Resource officials failed to act on her complaint that Hufford had behaved inappropriately toward her and another female employee whom Dryer supervised, Sieh said. That second employee is not identified in the lawsuit.

“I don’t have any details on that, so I wouldn’t want to speculate,” Sieh said.

Hufford stepped down in March after completing a temporary assignment as the county government’s top executive. Hufford was chief administrative officer for Los Angeles County from 1974 to 1985 and again in 1993 when that county was facing a financial crisis.

Ventura County supervisors lured him out of retirement in January 2000.

Dryer began her county career in 1973 as a typist. She worked her way up to become a chief deputy administrative officer, a position that pays $111,000 in salary annually, plus $40,000 in benefits.