LOS ANGELES_Four University of California, Los Angeles employees filed lawsuits this week against UCLA and the University of California Board of Regents, accusing their workplace supervisor of sexual harassment and the university of failing to properly handle abuse complaints.
Plaintiffs Jackie Rodriguez, Amber Rose Palega, Krystal Eda and Mayra Miguel allege supervisor Martha Mansoor, who is also named in the suit, regularly slapped their buttocks, caressed their thighs and made sexual comments about their bodies.
The plaintiffs work in the university's radiology scheduling department.
The harassment allegedly started in early 2016 and ended in 2017, according to the lawsuits, which were filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday. Mansoor was terminated by the school in July 2017 after the women filed complaints earlier that year, the lawsuits state.
One of the women informed another supervisor in December 2016 about the harassment, but Mansoor remained in her job, said attorney Darren Richie, who is representing all four women.
The plaintiffs "feel like their complaints were pushed under the rug" by the school, Richie said, in part because the allegations involved "female-on-female" harassment.
UCLA didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday, and the Los Angeles Times was unable to reach Mansoor.
Richie said the women faced retaliation from other supervisors after they filed complaints against Mansoor. The retaliatory behavior included making the women do more work and not allowing them to take time off to see their attorney, Richie said.
The lawsuits also allege that the school's process for filing a claim is confusing and ineffective. Even though four women made reports about harassment, the school listed only one of the women as a complainant, while the other three were named as witnesses, Richie said.
The women are suing for harassment; failure to prevent harassment, discrimination and retaliation; intentional infliction of emotional distress; and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
Richie said the four plaintiffs are seeking more than $120 million in damages.
