Gomerman | Bourn & Associates Represents All Three Plaintiffs with Claims of Sexual Harassment, Discrimination, and Retaliation Against California Disaster Agency
The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES)--the agency responsible for responding to floods and other disasters throughout the state–is experiencing a flood of its own as harassment, discrimination, and retaliation lawsuits continue to pour in against the agency and former Deputy Director of Recovery Operations Ryan Buras who was appointed to the position by governor Gavin Newsom in 2019.
Gomerman | Bourn & Associates filed a lawsuit on October 4 on behalf of the latest plaintiff and represents all three plaintiffs in their respective cases. The three lawsuits illustrate an obvious pattern of harassment and intimidation by Buras and a systematic and orchestrated coverup by Cal OES.
The lawsuits allege several egregious actions by Buras and the agency, including the following:
Sexual harassment
Discrimination
Hostile work environment
Failure to prevent harassment and discrimination
Retaliation
Taken as a whole, the details of the three lawsuits brought so far against Buras and Cal OES are instructive to anyone who is struggling in a hostile or uncomfortable workplace. Sometimes harassment is seemingly mild at first, but it is constant, inappropriate, and unwanted. The pressure to go along with it without complaining can be very real, even if the threat of retaliation is subtle and only implied. The situation is made even worse when the organization appears unified in protecting the perpetrator, as seen in these cases. The fear of retaliation keeps many victims silent for far too long, but it is always a good idea to document what’s happening and report the unwanted behavior–even if you’re not sure the behavior is illegal.
Lawsuit # 1 - Brought by Steven Larson in 2020
In late 2020, former Cal OES employee Steven Larson reported to the agency that at least four female employees had come to him with complaints about inappropriate behavior and sexual harassment from Buras. No action was taken to investigate the complaints, in spite of Larson’s insistence that someone look into the allegations. Ultimately, not only did the agency fail to look into the accusations, but worse than that, they ultimately fired Larson in retaliation for bringing them to the attention of his superiors and pressing them to do something about it.
Lawsuit # 2 - Brought by Kendra Bowyer in January 2024
In January 2024, a brave woman came forward with accusations against Buras based on her own experiences with him. Kendra Bowyer, former disaster recovery coordinator, says that Buras harassed her for more than a year and further makes the claim that he was only empowered to do so because he knew he would be protected by the agency brass.
Over the course of more than a year, Bowyer claims that Buras touched her nonconsensually, texted and called her late at night and often discussed personal issues, grabbed her hand in public, and several times tried to get her to spend the night in his home or hotel room and tried to stay in hers. At one point, she woke up to find out he had climbed into bed with her.
Watch attorney Tanya Gomerman speak to KCRA 3 in Sacramento about the case
When Bowyer turned down a surprise Christmas trip with Buras, he put her on his infamous “Dead To Me” list, something Cal OES employees knew meant being cut off without the communication and support needed from Buras to do their jobs. At this point, Buras refused to attend weekly status meetings with Bowyer, cut off professional communication, and neglected to pass along requests for essential services in disaster areas from Bowyer to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). As a result, people living in these areas were put at unnecessary risk for weeks and even months at a time.
Eventually, unable to do her job and suffering from extreme stress and anxiety, Bowyer was forced to resign from her position.
Hear from Steven Larson and Kendra Bowyer in their own words
Lawsuit # 3 - Brought by Rebecca Weber in September 2024
Last month, Gomerman | Bourn & Associates filed a lawsuit on behalf of another courageous employee who had been harassed and discriminated against by Buras over an extended period of time. Rebecca Weber received inappropriate late-night phone calls and text messages from a probably inebriated Buras who complained about his wife. When Buras tried to provide state funding to Los Angeles County for the Lake Fire, Weber pointed out that this would violate state law. This was just one way that Buras attempted to–and on occasion, successfully did–allocate or divert funds illegally, and when Weber made it clear he could not do so legally, he retaliated out of anger, cutting off essential communication with her, demeaning her in meetings, and excluding her from company social events. In a final act of cruelty, he revoked her work-from-home privileges which she had been granted in 2015 to care for her partner who faced a chronic and terminal medical condition. There’s little question he did so in order to punish Weber for pushing back against his efforts to use state funds inappropriately and also because he ultimately learned she was not single as he had previously believed.
Watch attorney Maria Bourn speak to KCRA 3 in Sacramento about the case
A Pattern of Bad Behavior that Should Have Been Broken
Over the course of approximately five years, Buras behaved in a manner that was unprofessional, unkind, destructive, immoral, and illegal and that he did so with impunity against several employees because he was, in his own words, “untouchable.” He was also enabled by several superiors at Cal OES who protected him. In one shocking email, he is told to “just hang in there” because the allegations were “all just noise.”
Despite issuing trite and empty platitudes about how they “strive to maintain a workplace free from sexual harassment and retaliation” and how they are “committed to ensuring all employees feel safe and respected in the workplace,” the stories of these three former employees paint a different picture.
“The retaliation against people who do come forward has been a culture at Cal OES,” says Gomerman. How many other employees has Buras harassed and intimidated? How many times has the agency covered for him? How many others were fired or forced to resign because of the untenable and hostile environment in which they were working?
Gomerman believes there could be others. “We are deeply concerned that there are other victims out there that are afraid to come forward,” she says.
While it can be scary and perhaps embarrassing to file a lawsuit against a boss and employer who have mistreated you, it’s the only way to bring justice to the situation. It’s also the only way to protect others from having to endure the kind of bad behavior Buras and Cal OES have inflicted on employees for years.
The entire team at Gomerman | Bourn & Associates is dedicated to providing compassion and support to you during a difficult time, and we will fight as hard as we can to make sure you are made whole and that those who engage in this kind of harassment pay for the damage done.
If you or someone you know has experienced harassment, discrimination, or retaliation while working at Cal OES, please reach out to schedule a confidential consultation with our team by calling (888) 855-2505 or by emailing us at info@gobolaw.com.
Gomerman | Bourn & Associates specializes in employment law and personal injury cases and have recovered well over $100 million for our clients since 2012. We are committed to providing compassionate understanding and support to you while striving to obtain the maximum compensation for your damages.
If you or someone you know has questions about legal options after an injury or accident or because of harassment, discrimination, or a hostile workplace, contact one of our experienced attorneys to schedule a free and confidential consultation or call us at (888) 855-2505.
Comments