MTS dismissed from lawsuit by woman who accused Nathan Fletcher of sexual harassment

Nathan Fletcher File photo by Salvatore Giametta A judge on Friday dismissed the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System from a lawsuit brought by a former employee who accused the agency of firing her The episode is connected with sexual harassment complaints made by Grecia Figueroa against former county supervisor and MTS Chair Nathan Fletcher San Diego Superior Court Judge Matthew Braner granted MTS summary judgment motion in the lawsuit brought by the former residents relations specialist leading to the dismissal of all alleges brought against the agency including sexual harassment gender discrimination and retaliation Braner validated a tentative written ruling he d issued Thursday which stated that MTS has presented evidence Plaintiff s termination was based on legitimate documented performance issues rather than anything involving Fletcher Braner also agreed with MTS arguments that Fletcher had no role in Figueroa s termination nor did his position as an MTS board member give him the authority to fire her The judge explained in court It seems to the court that the evidence that Fletcher s role was essentially ceremonial is much stronger than the assertion not really backed up with a whole lot of evidence that he was a mastermind that he was pulling the strings Fletcher remains a defendant in the event which is now scheduled to go to trial next month An independent study issued by MTS last year explained that personnel decisions like hirings and firings are the responsibility of the agency s CEO similar to Braner s determination Francis Flynn one of the attorneys representing Figueroa disagreed and stated during Friday s hearing that there were inconsistencies in Figueroa s performance reviews leading up to the date of her firing with specific stating she met her job expectations Flynn also argued that Figueroa released being harassed by Fletcher while she was still an MTS employee while the agency argued those complaints weren t made until after her termination In a comment circulated hours after the hearing MTS Board Chair and San Diego City Councilmember Stephen Whitburn mentioned From the outset of this affair our board was committed to an independent assessment and review of the matter We re pleased to see the court s agreement in dismissing charges against MTS MTS CEO Sharon Cooney noted We were glad to hear the present day s ruling in MTS s favor As we put this situation behind us we remain focused on our ultimate mission to bring safe reliable citizens transportation to our region While Fletcher acknowledged a relationship with Figueroa he has claimed all interactions between the pair were consensual Figueroa was terminated from her position on the day Fletcher informed his run for state Senate Less than two months after Fletcher declared the bid he ended his campaign stating that would seek medication for post-traumatic stress and alcohol abuse Figueroa s lawsuit followed days later leading to Fletcher s resignation from the county Board of Supervisors and MTS board Fletcher s legal association has since filed a defamation countersuit against Figueroa and disclosed multiple messages between Fletcher and Figueroa spanning more than a year that they allege show a consensual relationship