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By Kelli Forsch, Randy Economy and Brian Hews
A woman who worked as a public outreach director with the Central Basin Municipal Water District has filed a sexual battery lawsuit against Board Director Robert “Bob” Apodaca alleging, among other things, that her contract was not renewed because she refused Apodaca’s sexual advances.
The lawsuit is the newest development for the beleaguered municipal agency based in Commerce.
Westlake Village-based law firm Sottile-Baltaxe filed the fifteen page complaint at Los Angeles County Superior Court earlier this week on behalf of Sigrid Lopez, who served as a public affairs director with the agency for a six month period in 2012.
In the lawsuit Lopez alleges that Apodaca began making lewd comments shortly after she was hired. Lopez claims that Apodaca would speak to her in person or contact her via phone asking her “who do you blow,” telling her that “he would not mind laying into her,” and boasted about “tag teaming” women at conferences he attended, among other things.
HMG-CN published the lawsuit on Thursday afternoon.
SEXUAL BATTERY ALLEGATIONS
The suit requests damages in eight different areas, the most serious of which include assault, battery, and sexual battery. Lopez alleges that Apodaca engaged in a series of inappropriate actions, including trying to kiss her and attempting to stroke her hands and thighs. These actions required Lopez to seek medical attention, which she continues to this day. The lawsuit did not specify her injury.
Lopez further claims that she is still suffering from mental anguish because of her ordeal.
Lopez’s lawsuit also says she repeatedly reported the sexual harassment to the Board, the upper management, and the general council of the CBMWD but no action was taken and the harassment was allowed to continue. Lopez alleges that Apodaca retaliated by not renewing her contract.
Attorney Timothy Sottile said in a telephone interview with HMG-CN that more will be learned about the case during the discovery process. Sottile confirmed the details of the brief that was filed but did not discuss the particular aspects of the lawsuit.
Below is a PDF of the entire complaint.
I don’t know what I’m more pissed about, the fact that this old pathetic fart thinks he’s such a stud, or the fact that this lawsuit will cost the ratepayers of Central Basin at least a million!
This fat clown needs to resign along with that deadbeat Roybal. These two are disgusting fools who are making that agency look even worse than the Calderon’s did.
A PIG! No two ways about it. He has grabbed ass here at Central Basin for years and years. He really thinks that every woman who works here wants him. What a fool! The woman here all know when he’s in the building and they all communicate to avoid him, moving from office to office until he leaves. He’ll roll into their offices and then come around to massage them and put his ugly mug right next to their faces. It’s scary! They say his breath smells like stale beer and peanuts and the ONE sweat suit he wears on a daily basis stinks of urine and perspiration. Can is get any worse for these poor ladies? Sometimes he’ll stoke himself like he thinks he’s some porn star showing off is “tool”. WTF? Whom acts like this??? There should be video surveillance equipment placed in offices here to catch this pervert in the act.