San Diego - County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher is denying allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment in a lawsuit filed by a woman who he admits to having "consensual interactions with."
In the lawsuit, which KOGO News has obtained, the woman is identified as former MTS employee Grecia Figueroa. It was filed against Fletcher and the Metropolitan Transit Service where Fletcher served as Chair of the board of directors.
Her lawsuit alleges sexual assault, sexual harassment, failure to prevent sexual harassment and whistleblower retaliation. The lawsuit was filed in San Diego Superior Court on Monday one day after Fletcher announced that he was entering treatment for PTSD and alcohol abuse and ending his campaign for a California State Senate seat.
In a statement released Wednesday, Fletcher said, “Last year, I made a terrible mistake engaging in consensual interactions with someone outside my marriage. I made clear it could not continue or advance and desperately hoped I could leave this mistake in my past. However, this individual and an attorney demanded millions of dollars from me and my family with the threat of not only embarrassment but a willingness to lie about the circumstances and nature of the interactions."
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While denying the allegations in the lawsuit, Fletcher, who is married to former Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, said in a statement that he did violate the basic trust of his marriage.
"I have not done the things they are alleging, but I did violate the basic trust and loyalty of my marriage and set a terrible example for our children. Lorena and I have already started to work through this, and that work must continue after I complete treatment for trauma and alcohol abuse. My wife has done nothing but love me completely and without reservation and the blame for allowing myself to be in this situation rests entirely on my shoulders. I will spend my life working to repair the damage done to my family.”
Fletcher's attorney, Danielle Hultenius Moore, says the allegations in the lawsuit, which were not disclosed in the statement, are false.
“My client and his wife have been facing an attempt by a former colleague to obtain millions of dollars. We have asked the authorities to investigate these efforts and are pursuing our own legal response. The allegations are false and are designed to drive headlines and not tell the truth. It is also notable that they only include one side of the communications. The simple truth is that Ms. Figueroa pursued my client, their interactions were consensual and Mr. Fletcher does not and never had authority over her employment. We will aggressively fight this issue in court and the full record will show the truth.”
(Photo Getty Images)