A fifth lawsuit alleging that former assistant Orange County Sheriff Dennis LaDucer sexually harassed a female subordinate was filed Friday, and for the first time, it also accused other sheriff's officers and employees of harassment.
Amy L. Maisenbach, 24, an accountant in the community programs office, quit in July 1997 after enduring constant sexual harassment from six men during the three years she worked there, according to a complaint filed in Orange County Superior Court.
The highest ranking officer was LaDucer, who was fired last summer by Sheriff Brad Gates after four women filed lawsuits accusing him of making inappropriate sexual comments or groping them. LaDucer, 53, a 31-year veteran of the Sheriff's Department, has repeatedly denied the allegations. He could not be reached for comment Friday.
Patrick J. Thistle, Maisenbach's attorney, said his client "went out of her way to make complaints about what she perceived to be harassment, [but the] management of the department was simply unresponsive."
