Montgomery Co. fired woman for making sexual harassment complaints, suit says

HOUSTON - A Montgomery County woman has filed suit against the county after she was reportedly terminated for her complaints about sexual harassment, recent court documents say. 

A lawsuit filed Oct. 19 in Houston federal court claims Delonna Snow lost her employment with the defendant six years ago because she resisted Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace James Metts's romantic and sexual advances.

The county hired Snow to work in Precinct 1 in January 1991.

Twelve years later, she agreed to work overtime setting up and creating administrative procedures for running the then-newly elected Metts's office, a task which lasted from January to March 2003.

Snow became a court coordinator and administrative assistant to Metts in September 2003, and in April 2004, was tabbed to oversee his campaign fundraiser part-time.

According to the plaintiff, she "became aware of the perception that she was Judge Metts’s girlfriend and that they were romantically involved" some time after she signed on to work for his campaign.

She recalls how the judge, who is not a defendant in the case, increased his romantic pursuits as well as efforts to pry into her personal life, claiming he once threatened her with violence when she declined to take money from him.

Metts's supposed misconduct was then reported to his campaign manager, who advised him to "stop the harassment."

The suit asserts that Metts's reformed behavior was short-lived as "it did not take long before (he) started the inappropriate behavior again."

It adds his demeanor toward Snow changed throughout the course of the year and he grew "distant and colder in their interactions concerning the professional aspects of the plaintiff's job" upon learning about her November 2005 engagement.

Snow says Metts created a hostile work environment when he openly discussed his sex life and engaged in acts which purportedly made it difficult for her to perform her duties and responsibilities, eventually forcing her out of the court coordinator position in late 2006.

The judge ultimately terminated the plaintiff on Nov. 30, 2006.

A jury trial is requested.

Attorney Nasim Ahmad with Cline Ahmad in The Woodlands is representing Snow.

Case No. 4:12-CV-3130