The Nathan Fletcher sexual harassment scandal continues to reverberate through the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) with a new lawsuit filed by a high-ranking employee. Emily Outlaw, the former Chief Information Officer (CIO) at MTS, alleges the agency retaliated against her for refusing to tamper with evidence related to the accusations against Fletcher.
Outlaw’s lawsuit claims MTS leadership, aware of allegations from Fletcher’s accuser, pressured her to alter internal messaging app data between Fletcher and the accuser. When Outlaw refused, she alleges her performance reviews and annual raises took a sharp downturn.
MTS has issued a statement refuting Outlaw’s claims. The statement maintains that Outlaw struggled to adapt to her growing responsibilities, citing observations by her peers and supervisor of declining attendance, responsiveness, focus, and work ethic.
This latest lawsuit comes on top of the ongoing legal battle between MTS and Grecia Figueroa, a former public relations employee who directly accused Fletcher of sexual harassment. Figueroa’s lawsuit claims Fletcher groped and harassed her while she worked at MTS, and that he may have influenced her termination shortly before the allegations became public.
Grecia Figueroa, the woman who accused former San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher of sexual assault, has opted to represent herself in court. This unexpected move comes as the case progresses towards discovery hearings and a future trial date in 2025. The reasons behind her decision to dismiss her lawyer remain unknown. Figueroa’s case is just one piece of a larger legal puzzle surrounding Fletcher and the MTS. Other accusations of misconduct against Fletcher have surfaced, along with a recent retaliation lawsuit filed by another MTS employee. Despite the ongoing legal battles, Figueroa has maintained a low public profile, addressing the allegations only through a blog post and skipping court hearings.
The Fletcher scandal erupted in March 2023 when Figueroa filed her lawsuit. Fletcher, then a San Diego County Supervisor and candidate for state senate, resigned from both positions shortly after the accusations surfaced. Two other women have also come forward with allegations against Fletcher.
The MTS Board of Directors is expected to release the results of an independent investigation into the agency’s handling of the Fletcher scandal next week. The investigation will determine if MTS leadership knew about Figueroa’s allegations before they were publicly reported and if any retaliation occurred against those who reported them.
The ongoing legal battles and investigations raise serious questions about MTS’ workplace culture and its response to sexual harassment allegations. The outcome of these cases will be closely watched by those concerned about transparency and accountability in local government agencies.
