“It did a lot of damage” | Maintenance worker to sue city of San Antonio over alleged assault and sexual harassment

Maria Villegas accuses convention center executives Henry B. Gonzalez of creating a toxic work environment for working women.

SAN ANTONIO. A maintenance worker prepares to sue the city of San Antonio over allegations of sexual harassment and assault by his superiors.

Maria Villegas was joined by her lawyer Lynn Ellenberger while speaking with KENS 5.

“The bullying, the assaults, the sexual harassment… this is too much,” Villegas said.

Villegas works as a repairman in the city of San Antonio. He says the problems began after she was transferred to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in March 2021.

“The guards talked to me,” she said. “I felt it was mostly women. They said “Go do it” and “Hurry! Hurry!’ I felt uncomfortable, but endured because I needed work. Work was my bread and butter.

On August 13, 2021, Villegas says he was walking down a hallway with two bosses when a third left his office.

“We walked past his office and he walked out,” Villegas said. “He said, ‘Where are you all going?’ The supervisors next to me said, “Oh, we will complete the task that you told us.” I turn. The other boss and I are walking forward when he comes up behind me and pulls my hair. All I see is the ceiling and I feel a click in my neck. He kept walking, but brought me back to another world.

Villegas says she has experienced domestic violence.

After the incident, according to Villegas, she climbed the ranks and told her boss that he pulled out her hair. He says the incident was caught on a security camera, but claims his complaints weren’t taken seriously, which is why she went to the police.

Court documents show that the warden was charged with assault – bodily harm. A judge has issued a contact ban to Villegas, and the case is expected to go to court on March 28. However, Villegas says that the warden is still working at the convention center.

Just two months later, he said, there was another incident with another boss.

“He said, ‘You have to go to the office,'” Villegas said. “As soon as I entered, he turned and pushed me towards the table. He groped me, kissed me and wrapped his arms around me.”

She showed us Facebook messages reportedly sent to her by her boss after the incident saying he was “horny” and that he wanted to have sex with her.

“My stomach hurts when I go to work because I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Villegas said. “It did a lot of damage. It was bad.”

Villegas says he is now suffering from depression.

A few months ago, Ellenberger filed a complaint with the Texas Labor Commission on Villegas’ behalf. Ellenberger also introduces a former repairman who detailed a similar treatment.

“My clients are very brave and courageous to make a statement,” said Ellenberger of FeganScott LLC. “The city of San Antonio is a major employer. These women have to go to work every day and face a constant barrage of name-calling, harassment, touching and very threatening behavior. The city knows it. These women are not the first to come forward and [the city] didn’t do any research. As you heard from Maria, they didn’t fire these rapists from their jobs. The city needs to make this workplace safe for the women who work at the convention center.”

Ellenberger recently received a letter of right to sue from the Texas Labor Commission. She plans to file a lawsuit within the next 45 days.

KENS 5 has repeatedly reached out to the city of San Antonio for comment. A spokesman said that, under federal law, the city cannot comment on any Human Resources Commission claims until a lawsuit is filed and the information is made public.

However, the City Attorney’s Office provided the following statement:

“The City of San Antonio is working to provide a safe, discriminatory and harassment-free workplace for all City employees. We are investigating allegations of misconduct and based on the results, we are taking appropriate action.”

Ellenberger encourages other city repairmen who have been harassed to come forward.

“My message to people who are watching this story is: Don’t give up,” Villegas said. “Justice will prevail.”

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