Lawsuit: Brooks Treats Women With Disdain

A onetime associate superintendent at Albuquerque Public Schools who was demoted after complaining about Superintendent Winston Brooks’ “pattern of treating women with disdain and disrespect” is suing Brooks and the school district in federal court for alleged civil rights violations.

Ruby Ethridge, who was in charge of middle schools for APS, claims that standing up to Brooks’ “sex-related bullying” — and telling the school board that his conduct created a hostile work environment — led to adverse employment actions against her, including demotion and termination.

Ethridge had been at APS for about 20 years in the fall of 2010 when she and Brooks, at odds over Ethridge’s plans to call in a middle school principal for a job performance evaluation, had a heated email exchange.

Ethridge was unhappy about his belittling her Mississippi accent and objected to his orders not to take action about the principal’s performance, as well as his alleged harassment and belittling, according to the lawsuit.

Less than 15 minutes later, he put her on leave and banned her from APS property.

She was later demoted from her $117,000-a-year position to assistant principal at Rio Grande High School, where her salary would have been $71,785. She never worked at that position, opting to retire after her contract was not renewed, and she is now starting to seek employment, her attorney said.

APS communications director Monica Armenta said Thursday in a statement, “Although Ms. Ethridge’s legal complaint has just been filed this week, APS has been aware of (her) allegations for some time. It is true that Ms. Ethridge was placed on administrative leave in November of 2010 and that her contract with APS was not renewed for the 2011-12 academic year. However, APS categorically denies that anyone at APS engaged in any wrongful conduct with respect to Ms. Ethridge specifically or female employes generally.”

Ethridge’s suit claims sex discrimination under the U.S. Civil Rights Act and the New Mexico Human Rights Act, retaliation, violation of equal protection and due process rights and breach of contract.

The complaint, filed this week in Albuquerque by attorneys Jason Lewis and Kari Morrissey, seeks lost income, back pay and pay for lost compensation during the period between judgment and reinstatement, if any. It also seeks punitive damages on some of the claims from Brooks, APS and a John or Jane Doe employee who allegedly leaked the emails to the media.

Lewis and Morrissey also represent three APS principals who have sued the district, alleging that women were disproportionately demoted in 2010, when Brooks changed leadership at more than 20 schools.

In the November 2010 email exchange, Brooks responded to Ethridge’s complaints by saying that she might be removed from the leadership position because of insubordination and personal attacks.

“I have little time for this kind of behavior and certainly do not want to place my complete trust and confidence in a person who (has) made these types of allegations,” according to the email.

That and the rest of the email exchange went out to most of the school board and other APS employees as well as Brooks.

The lawsuit contends that the words between Brooks and Ethridge were the latest chapter in a long history of Brooks becoming agitated with and dismissive of women while having no such problems with male staff or administrators.

According to the lawsuit, Brooks:

♦ Once said another female administrator had “slept her way to the top.”

♦ Twice, while sharing an elevator ride with Ethridge, commented about her short skirts — comments that Ethridge had also heard other female employees complain about.

♦ Frequently questioned Ethridge’s supervisory judgment but rarely questioned her male colleagues’ decisions.

♦ Used performance evaluations to berate female employees who disagreed with his policy decisions.

The complaint says Ethridge was “humiliated” by publicity, including stories in the Journal, about her “retaliatory administrative leave, demotion and potential pay cut or termination.” It says she was not given any reason for the non-renewal of her contract, despite her nearly 20 years at APS.
— This article appeared on page A1 of the Albuquerque Journal