UCSD professor sues county following Fletcher allegations

The legal fallout surrounding sexual assault and harassment allegations against former San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher continues to widen, more than a year after his resignation.

A UC San Diego professor sued San Diego County this week, claiming officials wrongly pressured her out of her position in two contracts after she reported to university management that a student had told her that Fletcher had harassed her.

Lecturer Juli Beth Hinds claims in the complaint that county officials interfered with her contracts last spring, after she officially reported what the student told her.

“Following this sexual harassment complaint filed by the Chairman of the County Board of Supervisors, the County immediately began taking steps to eliminate Plaintiff’s involvement in both County contracts,” the lawsuit states.

Hinds first made her allegations public last year, when she filed a lawsuit against the county and Fletcher. The complaint, which must be filed before a civil action can be taken, was dismissed by the county late last year.

The request for a jury trial, first reported by CBS 8, was filed Tuesday in San Diego Superior Court and names only the county as a defendant. The lawsuit does not give a specific amount of damages, but in his claim last year, Hinds sought some $280,000 in lost income.

San Diego County spokesman Michael Workman said Thursday he had not seen the complaint and declined to comment on the allegations.

According to the lawsuit, Hinds was part of two separate contracts with San Diego County, both signed in 2022. One called for Hinds to participate in workshops examining decarbonization efforts; the other concerned water equity assessments.

But after reporting the student's allegations against Fletcher in April 2023, “the county requested a change,” and Hinds was subsequently removed from his contractual duties “at the request of the county,” the lawsuit states.

In late March 2023, Fletcher was sued by a former Metropolitan Transit System employee for sexual assault and sexual harassment. He denied the allegations but resigned from the MTS board and the county board of supervisors.

Fletcher filed a countersuit earlier this year, accusing the former PR specialist of defamation, and has maintained their relationship was consensual.

The lawsuit filed by Hinds does not name Fletcher as a defendant, although he was named in his complaint last year. In January, a spokesperson for Fletcher released a statement categorically denying the allegations contained in the claim.

“Nathan Fletcher has no idea what this is about, didn't harass anyone, couldn't have retaliated against someone he didn't know existed, and couldn't have impacted an action by the county at a time when he was not there,” the statement said.

“Like other false accusations against Mr. Fletcher, time will show that this one is also without merit,” he said.

The case was assigned to Judge James A. Mangione, according to court records. A case management conference was tentatively scheduled for early February.