City of Liberty employee files sexual harassment suit after termination

HOUSTON - The city of Liberty is the target of a Liberty County woman's wrongful termination lawsuit, recent court records show.

A lawsuit filed Oct. 18 in Houston federal court alleges Pamela Ruth Jackson experienced sexual harassment when she worked for the city's water department.

She reported the misconduct in question, but was retaliated against and eventually fired, the suit states.

Jackson was employed as a secretary, a position she obtained after operations manager Roger

Drews convinced her to leave her previous job at Cooks Portable Houses.

The plaintiff, a recent divorcee, explains that Drews one day called her into his office and "attempted to touch her in a sexual manner."

After resisting Drews's advances, the suit states, Jackson was assigned to manual labor outdoors instead of the administrative tasks pertaining to her actual position.

The complainant claims her male co-workers "subjected her to offensive and sexual comments" and her complaints purportedly prompted Drews, who is a defendant in the case, to continue the negative treatment.

Liberty City Manager Gary Broz was then given documentation about the supposed harassment.

Jackson says Broz placed her on administrative leave but terminated her shortly afterwards on grounds she used offensive language in the workplace.

According to the original petition, the claim the plaintiff uttered a racially derogatory term was "a desperate attempt to cover [the city of Liberty's] retaliatory termination."

Broz is also being sued.

A jury trial is requested.

Lawrence Morales II with The Morales Firm PC in San Antonio is representing Jackson.

Case No. 4:12-CV-3094