San Diego Supervisor Nathan Fletcher Accused of Sexual Misconduct by Second Woman

San Diego Supervisor Nathan Fletcher Accused of Sexual Misconduct by Second Woman

Mar 31, 2023

San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher has been hit with additional accusations of sexual misconduct by a former U.C. San Diego student who interned for him back in 2015. The allegations come following a lawsuit filed earlier this week by a former Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) employee claiming a pair of sexual assaults by the prominent San Diego politician, who resigned as the chair of the MTS on Tuesday, according to a report from NBC San Diego.

The first woman accused Fletcher of kissing and groping her in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in San Diego Superior Court. On Sunday, Fletcher indicated that he was ending his Senate bid and entering treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol abuse. He denied the assault and harassment allegations but resigned Tuesday from the MTS board, which oversees the San Diego trolley and bus system and which he had chaired, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times.

“The strain on my wife and family over the past week has been immense and unbearable,” Fletcher wrote in a statement posted on Twitter just after 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. “A combination of my personal mistakes plus false accusations has created a burden that my family shouldn’t have to bear.”

The Los Angeles Times also reported that at least two staffers in Fletcher’s county office resigned Wednesday as a result of the accusations, even though the embattled public figure broadly denied the allegations in the lawsuit.

NBC San Diego reported that the second accuser is a former intern named Amanda (though her name is not being disclosed in order to preserve her anonymity).

“She was reportedly 19 years old when she applied for an internship with the Three Wise Men Foundation, which focuses on veterans issues and was founded by Fletcher, who is a currently a professor of practice in political science at UC San Diego and served in the past as a U.S. Marine. According to a published report, Three Wise Men merged with the Headstrong Project in 2018,” NBC San Diego said.

“In her capacity as an intern, Amanda traveled to Minnesota with Fletcher in 2015, she confirmed to NBC 7 on Thursday, also verifying her allegation that on the trip, while a photo was being taken, Fletcher told her she was “hot” and ran his hand over her buttocks. In addition, she corroborated to NBC 7 her allegation that Fletcher sent her explicit texts during the trip and asked for a massage.”

NBC San Diego further confirmed that Amanda later reported the incident to her supervisor at Three Wise Men – Kaylee Wilson. Additionally, she made a report to the Sexual Assault Resource Center at UC San Diego.

A spokesperson for Fletcher issued the following statement to NBC San Diego:

“These accusations are false and clearly not true as verified by others at the event and emails from the time. This is just piling onto an existing media frenzy.”

NBC San Diego further reported that an email thread forwarded to the network appeared to confirm the following:

• Amanda made the allegations during the time frame she described.
• In the thread, Wilson informs Fletcher about Amanda’s allegations.
• Wilson describes said allegations as “bizarre accusations” about Fletcher’s behavior during the trip, saying that she had “slept in the same room with this girl and was attached to her hip the whole time, so I know what she’s saying has absolutely zero validity.”
• Fletcher replies, “Oh gosh. That is so frustrating and completely unfounded,” adding, “I had to counsel her during the trip as well about being too close and remind her I was her boss and also a Professor at UCSD. I specifically told her there were plenty of guys at the event available, appropriate, and her age.”
• In summary, Fletcher reportedly told Wilson, in part, “Obviously, let’s not have her intern at 3WM anymore.”

The initial sexual lawsuit against Fletcher was filed earlier this week by Grecia Figueroa, a woman who worked for the MTS until February of this year. In the complaint, Figueroa alleges Fletcher:

• Groped her on two occasions and pursued a sexual relationship with her for months
• This lead to her abrupt firing on February 6 (the day Fletcher announced his state Senate candidacy)
• Fletcher officially terminated his Senate bid on Sunday night – just days before the suit was filed

The complaint further alleges Figueroa “was intimidated by the dynamic Fletcher had created” and indicates that she “felt pressured to reciprocate Fletcher’s advances because she knew he had authority, as both a career politician and as chair of the MTS Board, to destroy her career at MTS and to potentially humiliate her publicly if she made him angry.”

NBC San Diego reached out to UC San Diego regarding Fletcher’s employment status at the university but did receive a response as of yesterday.

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Under a new California law – Assembly Bill 2777 (AB 2777) – adult survivors of sexual assault have the opportunity to file civil claims for financial compensation without being barred by the statute of limitations. AB 2777 opens a three-year window for any sexual assault or sex crime which occurred on or after January 1, 2009. From now until December 31, 2026, all adult survivors of California sexual assault may file claims with Dordulian Law Group (DLG).

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