Former Ventura County CEO settles sexual harassment lawsuit
Ventura County and its former CEO, Mike Powers, have agreed to a settlement with a former employee who sued him for alleged sexual and racial harassment and discrimination from 2019 to 2021.
A notice of a conditional settlement was filed in Ventura County Superior Court Feb. 24.
Terms of the settlement are not disclosed in the four-page notice.
The settlement is contingent upon approval by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors.
The suit filed by the woman identified only as “Jane Roe” alleges that Powers, then her immediate supervisor, subjected her to sexual and racial harassment and discrimination from 2019 to 2021.
The allegations led to Powers’ resignation in 2022.
According to the notice of conditional settlement, if the board of supervisors approves the settlement, eight causes of action in the woman’s lawsuit will be dismissed.
A ninth cause of action — defamation — is not yet part of the settlement, according to the notice.
The parties have agreed to attend a mandatory settlement conference on March 12, the notice says.
