Former Grizzly Youth Academy commander accused of sexual harassment in lawsuit
A decorated Naval Gulf War veteran has filed a lawsuit accusing the former commander of the Grizzly Youth Academy of sexual harassment over a period of more than two years.
Chief Warrant Officer Simone Y. Hosey alleges sexual harassment and wrongful termination against Lt. Col. Francisco Flores, with whom she worked after Flores was appointed to command the Grizzly Youth Academy in July 2018, according to the complaint filed in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court.
The California National Guard’s Grizzly Academy is a residential program for youth ages 16 to 18 who have dropped out of school or are seriously behind in credits needed to graduate. The program receives federal and state funding.
Hosey accuses Flores of making sexual comments around her and asking her “deeply personal questions about her private life,” asserting himself improperly as her de facto supervisor, exerting control over her duties and assignments without authority, and threatening retaliation to those who complained about him.
“He made sexual advances towards Chief Hosey, including asking her to go out to dinner and dancing during a business trip,” the lawsuit claims. “He also regularly discussed, both with Chief Hosey and within her hearing, his desire to engage in particular sex acts, in general and specifically with Chief Hosey’s sister.”
The lawsuit noted: “Flores repeatedly told Chief Hosey that he would retaliate against anyone who complained about him and make them pay,” which initially made her fearful to lodge a complaint.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Hosey by SLO attorney Jeffrey Stulberg, represents one side of the case.
Besides Flores, the lawsuit also names the California Military Department and its leadership, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, Maj. Gen. Jay Coggan, and Brigadier Gen. Peter Cross.
Cross, who oversees the California Military Department Youth & Community Programs Task Force that includes Grizzly, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Flores is no longer the commander of the Grizzly Youth Academy, and was reassigned to command the Discovery Challenge Academy in Lathrop, according to Stulberg’s news release.
He didn’t respond to a request for comment left at the admissions office at the Lathrop youth academy.
Lawsuit alleges years of sexual harassment
Hosey’s complaint alleges that she was “subjected to years of extreme and outrageous sexual harassment,” according to a news release issued by Stulberg’s office.
After a Navy career that ended in 1998 and included duty in the Gulf War as well as awards including the Southwest Asian Service Medal and Bronze Star, Hosey served honorably for 20 years on state active duty in the California State National Guard, most recently as state outreach coordinator for the Guard’s Youth and Community Programs, the news release said.
Throughout her National Guard career, Hosey was stationed at the Grizzly Youth Academy on the grounds of Camp San Luis Obispo and worked in program recruitment at Grizzly for 12 years before moving into the statewide outreach role.
In her tenure at Grizzly, before Flores arrived, she thrived while “exceeding all recruitment targets and holding positions of increasing responsibility,” before being promoted to the higher position, her lawsuit notes.
“From the beginning, Flores appeared jealous of Chief Hosey’s statewide position and threatened by her successful career,” the news release said. “In October 2018, he embarked on a two-and-a-half-year campaign calculated to intimidate her and erode her career, using outrageous acts of sexual harassment as a weapon.”
Hosey’s attorney claims California’s Military Department “failed to take any action” to end Flores’ intimidating and abusive behavior, which led to another employee quitting.
“Another female employee quit rather than endure the abuse,” the news release states. “Flores repeatedly told Chief Hosey that he would retaliate against anyone who complained about him and ’make them pay.’”
After filing a complaint through her chain of command in May, as far as Hosey knows, no official investigation has been launched, nor has any disciplinary action been taken against Flores, according to the release.
Details of the harassment claims
Among the allegations, the lawsuit states that Flores “insisted on taking her to lunch, even inserting himself into planned meetings to prevent Chief Hosey from having work-related discussions with colleagues to which he was not privy.”
“He repeatedly discussed his need for a (sex act) and asked Chief Hosey for her sister’s photograph and phone number, insinuating that her sister would perform these and other sexual acts on him,” the lawsuit said.
Other harassment included calling her by her first name and pronouncing it in a suggestive manner as “Simoooooooone” in front of other GYA staff and “demanding that Chief Hosey and her son perform personal favors for him outside of work hours including remodeling his condominium; and changing his clothes in front of Chief Hosey while giving her orders in his office.”
Hosey and Flores both reported to Cross, but Flores began “systematically inserting himself between Chief Hosey and state command, becoming her de facto supervisor,” according to the lawsuit.
.jpg "Photograph of Simone 2 (1).jpg")
Before Flores came to Grizzly, the lawsuit alleged Flores was removed from command at the Oakland Military Academy amid various allegations of misconduct, including the mistreatment of minor students.
“Although she was still ostensibly working for the (California Military Department’s) commander of Youth and Community Programs and was therefore (Flores’) equal in the chain of command, (Flores) began to exert command control over Chief Hosey,” the lawsuit notes. “He placed her in a cubicle in his own building where he could watch her, even though protocol demanded she have her own office.”
On a business trip in October 2018, they rode in the same car from SLO, and Flores wanted Hosey to help him shop for a new outfit that evening, the lawsuit alleges.
“Once they got there, (Flores) demanded that they leave early rather than staying to network with colleagues as was customary,” Hosey alleges. “He then asked Chief Hosey to have dinner alone with him and go dancing. Chief Hosey refused. She felt threatened by his unwelcome advances.”
On the ride home, Flores asked several questions about her private life that Hosey believes were designed to “belittle and control her.”
“Given the intimate nature of his questioning, Chief Hosey also believes that (Flores) had already reviewed her personnel file,” the lawsuit notes.
Aftermath of her complaint
After filing a complaint for an Inspector General investigation in May, Hosey took a leave from work, and the lawsuit states that she was still too physically ill from the emotional distress caused by Flores’ treatment to return to work.
“To date, Chief Hosey continues to suffer from severe emotional distress related to her prior employment with (Flores) which, in turn, causes her to suffer debilitating physical symptoms including uncontrollable vomiting,” the lawsuit states. “She is unable to work and has struggled to obtain either disability or retirement benefits.”
According to her lawyer, after Hosey was placed on medical leave seeking treatment, the California Military Department convened a Medical Evaluation Board and declared her unfit for active duty in September 2021, effectively ending her career.
“When faced with a choice of who to protect, the California Military Department and its leaders blatantly ignored their moral, ethical, and legal duty to Chief Hosey,” the news release said. “They chose instead to preserve the career of a cruel and predatory man at the expense of a highly successful female officer who had served them loyally and with distinction for 20 years.”
This story was originally published December 17, 2021 at 3:39 PM.
%20Cropped.jpg)