A new legal filing makes searing accusations against the woman suing former San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher for sexual harassment.
Grecia Figueroa filed a civil lawsuit in March of 2023, claiming Fletcher repeatedly groped her and sexually harassed her over six months while pursuing a sexual relationship. Figueroa worked in public relations for the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) at the time of the alleged assault and claims that Fletcher, who chaired the MTS board before resigning in the face of the allegations, had a hand in her firing in early 2023.
In August, a judge ordered Figueroa to provide documentation of all written communication between her and Fletcher, including text and social media messages and emails. Fletcher requested the documentation in a motion filed in August, arguing their full conversations would show he and Figuroa had only consensual interactions.
Now, Fletcher’s lawyer is calling for immediate dismissal of the case, submitting a new court filing that includes dozens of never-before-seen private messages. The filing says those messages depict a playful, flirtatious, and consensual relationship between Figueroa and Fletcher.
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In one message, Fletcher says he “will practice his ‘I’m totally not in love with her face’” ahead of a work news conference. Figueroa responded, “I will practice ‘I’m totally not thinking about kissing his face right now.’ ” Fletcher’s lawyer argues the relationship was not only consensual, but, he said, Figueroa was the “aggressor” and often initiated the contact.
In another message, Figueroa tells Fletcher, “Missing your lips.” He liked the message with a heart emoji and reciprocated the sentiment.
Fletcher’s lawyers have also accused Figueroa’s camp of withholding evidence.
Attorneys pointed to one message they say proves Figueroa lied when she claimed he forced her into a side room after a board meeting and then sexually assaulted her. Messages appear to show the idea to meet in the side room came from Figueroa, not Fletcher.
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NBC 7 reached out to Figueroa and her attorneys for a response, they sent a statement that reads:
Unfortunately, it is increasingly obvious that Mr. Fletcher and his defense team do not understand the nuance surrounding consent, including how consent can be withdrawn at any time and how each encounter requires consent. What’s more, the other side continues to gravely misunderstand, or perhaps blatantly ignore, the true nature of sexual harassment and power dynamics in the workplace and beyond. On many occasions, survivors may try to “pacify” their perpetrator while they themselves are trapped in a “fight or flight mode,” struggling to speak up, causing them extreme psychological distress. Mr. Fletcher and his defense team make no attempt to uncover the whole truth, choosing instead to shame Ms. Figueroa and attempt to prematurely dismiss her claims before further discovery and depositions have been completed. This most recent filing by Mr. Fletcher is simply an attempt to impose his distorted version of the truth onto us all. The whole truth, however, will come to light as the litigation continues.
In an emailed response to Fletcher’s attorney, Figueroa’s lawyers included screen grabs of their own, detailing what they say is fear, anxiety and emotional distress.
In August of 2022, Figueroa told a friend she planned to ask Fletcher to stop talking to her and said she could not escape him at work.
Five months later, the month before she was fired, another message showed Figueroa confiding in a friend how she felt “helpless” for the past seven to eight months and struggled with suicidal thoughts.
The case heads back to civil court in March.
Next week, the MTS is expected to release the results of an independent investigation into its involvement in the scandal. Its former director of IT filed a claim for retaliation, accusing MTS leadership of asking her to break the law and tamper with evidence revealing that they knew about Figueroa’s allegations earlier than they let on.
Figueroa isn’t the only woman who’s publicly accused Fletcher of sexual harassment. Two other women made claims, including one filed last week by a college professor who reported that one of her students had been harassed by Fletcher while he was a professor in practice.
