SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A batch of messages between Nathan Fletcher’s accuser and a pal had been launched in courtroom paperwork on Friday, shedding new mild on the character of the three encounters on the heart of her lawsuit against the embattled former county supervisor.
The messages had been launched in a brand new courtroom submitting by Fletcher’s attorneys in an effort to acquire the entire cache of messages between former MTS worker Grecia Figueroa and her pal, Danielle Radin, discussing the allegations of sexual misconduct detailed in her lawsuit.
Radin, who’s a Los Angeles-based journalist, beforehand labored at FOX 5 San Diego earlier than the occasions on the heart of the case transpired.
Earlier this 12 months, Fletcher’s attorneys asked the court to compel Radin to reveal the texts in the midst of discovery, believing it could affirm his recounting of their interactions as consensual and assist his countersuit for defamation.
Beforehand disclosed messages between Fletcher and Figueroa appeared to indicate a minimum of a point of a consensual relationship on-line. The texts with Radin that had been launched on Friday — whereas incomplete — increase further questions in regards to the nature of their in-person encounters.
Timeline: Unfolding of the Nathan Fletcher scandal
Within the submitting Friday, the previous supervisor’s attorneys argue the messages “all however eviscerate [Figueroa’s] allegations towards Mr. Fletcher.”
All through the over 150 pages of messages that had been turned over, Figueroa seems to have combined emotions in the direction of Fletcher, at occasions calling him “zaddy,” which is a slang time period to explain a sexually engaging older man, and others saying he’s a “traditional narcissist.”
She additionally describes feeling enthusiastic about their flirtatious interactions at first, earlier than a noticeable shift happens in mid-2022 after what seemed to be a number of months of backwards and forwards when she begins to explain the interactions as dangerous to her psychological well being.
That is additionally across the identical time that MTS officers started to discover placing probationary language in her job efficiency evaluation, which was the precursor to her eventual firing, in accordance with a report from an independent investigation into her wrongful termination claims.
Disclosure of the remaining messages is being challenged by each Figueroa and Radin, who’s claiming privileges for investigative reporters’ interactions with confidential sources and home abuse counselors.
FOX 5/KUSI reached out to Figueroa’s lawyer and Radin for touch upon the newest filings, however didn’t obtain a response previous to publication. Nonetheless, in a separate submitting, Radin’s lawyer mentioned she had produced every little thing that was in her management.
Fletcher, Figueroa start speaking
The primary messages within the courtroom submitting start on Dec. 21, 2021. The texts reference Fletcher, who was chair of the MTS Board of Administrators on the time, taking a look at Figueroa’s Instagram story regardless of not following her on the platform.
The texts then describe an escalation to direct messages between Fletcher and Figueroa. Speaking to her pal, Figueroa describes the then-chair of the MTS board implicitly asking her to return over, however she doesn’t meet him in particular person exterior of labor till early Could 2022.
Previous to that assembly, she lamented within the texts in regards to the supervisor being unavailable resulting from his marriage, later saying “I’ll simply present him how sensible I’m and hopefully he’ll divorce his spouse and notice he simply met the precise love of his life.”
The assembly in Could 2022 was the primary bodily encounter between the 2 described in Figueroa’s lawsuit. In line with her criticism, she mentioned Fletcher requested her to go to him for a drink on the resort he was staying at together with his household.
She got here to the resort and met with Fletcher within the stairwell, the place he was described as trying a number of advances earlier than kissing her, her lawsuit mentioned.
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In line with Friday’s submitting, three hours into the assembly, Figueroa texts Radin saying, “So if I need to have intercourse with this man … I can.” She provides that she instructed him they “couldn’t go there.”
She follows up that textual content shortly after saying he tried to make a transfer once more they usually kissed — one thing she attributes to being intoxicated as a result of “3 f—- beers” they’d.
In a textual content to Radin after leaving the resort, Figueroa describes the encounter as “the wildest dream I might have had,” including that she didn’t know find out how to really feel about it as a result of it “was nice” however “felt sooooo flawed.”
The next day, Figueroa despatched Radin a screenshot of Instagram direct messages between the 2 the place Fletcher mentioned “As superb as I dreamt.” In her message to Radin, Figueroa referenced this textual content, saying “I instructed you about my desires with him no???”
Figueroa then adopted it up by telling Radin the interactions had been “high secret” and that it had “escalated to a brand new degree.”
“At the very least he’s going to maneuver again to his precise home subsequent week. So it can all be performed there,” she continued. “No extra stairwells.”
In line with courtroom paperwork, Figueroa says in a textual content to Radin in mid-Could that “He’s obsessed and it’s mutual,” however she later acknowledged she wouldn’t meet up with him at his home. Nonetheless, she mentioned she’s going to “proceed to like each second of being his emotional assist mistress.”
Encounters on the MTS constructing
The primary alleged incident of sexual assault occurred a number of weeks after the stairwell encounter, in early June. In line with Friday’s submitting, Figueroa texts Radin on that day to inform her Fletcher had been messaging her throughout a MTS Board of Administrators assembly.
A number of hours later, Figueroa tells her pal, “Omg / I simply noticed him / And he kissed me … Having a make out session was not in my plans immediately.” Because it was described in her lawsuit, Figueroa mentioned Fletcher initiated the bodily intimacy in a MTS convention room, however she “pushed him again.”
Radin replies “That’s like so scorching although,” to which Figueroa responds in settlement with three hearth emojis.
All through July, Figueroa continues to message Radin about “Zaddy fletch” and an obvious need to see him once more, however then on the finish of August she texts her pal saying she had determined to finish issues with Fletcher, in accordance with his counsel’s submitting.
Radin replies, “Noooo!! Having the connection will assist a lot with the wage negotiation if it involves that!! / In case you lower it off he gained’t be inclined to assist / Plus you’ll nonetheless see one another at work and it’ll be hella awkward.”
Figueroa responds, saying “I don’t suppose so.. he’s eternally indebted to me… since I’m maintaining his soiled secret” and “It’s so awkward… i hate how a lot he’s a part of my work.”
After a number of extra messages, Radin says “In case you inform him don’t speak to me after which he has to speak to you for varied causes and he feels uncomfortable, you run the danger of him attempting to get you out” — a hypothetical that Figueroa responds to saying “I don’t suppose he would.”
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Figueroa then says “That is my fault,” which Radin pushes again towards saying “You’re not the one which’s married and ready of energy … It’s his fault now it’s important to address this bizarre place he put you in.”
Radin continues, “I do know it feels hopeless and such as you’re caught simply coping with him again and again however you’re really ready of energy. If he’s caught winking at your or flirting and also you don’t interact in any respect, that’s going to make HIM look unhealthy, and make you seem like a sufferer of his unwarranted advances, then they’ll inevitably separate you two anyway if it goes on. Nobody goes to search out out what occurred. No person at work will ever know. And also you’re ready the place you will get regardless of the f— you ask for at work.”
In a subsequent textual content, Radin provides, “You had a crush on him for years, it was thrilling to have some flirtation, you bought validated that it wasn’t all in your head he felt it too, it was thrilling, like there was a time and a spot for it to occur. however should you’ve had sufficient of it you possibly can emotionally again off and let him dig a grave for himself if he nonetheless needs to blatantly flirt with you.”
Figueroa seems to step again for a number of weeks. Throughout that point, Figueroa’s tone about Fletcher adjustments within the courtroom submitting, calling him a “traditional narcissist.”
The second alleged occasion of sexual assault in Figueroa’s lawsuit occurred in a while Dec. 1, 2022. Within the courtroom submitting, the then-MTS worker texts Radin on at the present time, saying she and Fletcher had “a heavy heavy make out sesh” in an MTS convention room.
Figueroa’s preliminary criticism mentioned the previous supervisor pulled off a few of her garments and engaged in additional aggressive sexual habits. Within the texts, she recalled him going “proper up my shirt” within the convention room and that she wanted “a second to breathe.”
Among the many ultimate messages within the batch launched by Fletcher’s attorneys present one other dialog that occurred on Jan. 7, 2023 the place Figueroa and Radin talk about her ending issues once more.
Within the texts, Figueroa describes her feelings relating to the connection in a method that “virtually felt like what it could be coming near suicide” as she had nowhere to go and felt helpless.
The ultimate message included within the courtroom paperwork was on Jan. 19, 2023, about three weeks earlier than she was fired by MTS, the place Figueora feedback on Fletcher’s beard after he messaged her on Instagram whereas in a Zoom assembly.
What occurs subsequent?
Fletcher’s attorneys are arguing these messages may very well be sufficient for a decide to dismiss Figueroa’s lawsuit — one thing they are saying they’re actively searching for.
“Every of the three cases the place these two folks kissed, the textual content messages reveal that it was fully and totally consensual,” Sam Sherman, certainly one of Fletcher’s protection attorneys, instructed FOX 5/KUSI Monday evening.
Its impression on the previous supervisor’s profession might additionally make a jury extra inclined to imagine his defamation declare, that are notoriously arduous to litigate when a public official is concerned as a result of excessive “precise malice” commonplace.
For public officers, like politicians, their counsel in a defamation case should show that statements at its heart weren’t solely false and dangerous, however made with information that it was false or with reckless disregard of its veracity.
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Each events are anticipated to satisfy later this week on Thursday, Aug. 30 for a listening to on a movement relating to sanctions towards Figueroa and Radin for failure to supply requested proof in the midst of discovery so far.
A trial date has been set for February 2025, though further hearings on motions to dismiss the go well with are scheduled for mid-October.
Outdoors Figueroa’s case, there have been two further retaliation lawsuits filed towards MTS and San Diego County centered on allegations of sexual misconduct by Fletcher. These circumstances stay within the early phases and it’s unclear how they may very well be impacted by Figueroa’s go well with.
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