Lawsuit accuses Newport’s marketing CEO of sexual harassment

A former office manager at Newport Beach’s marketing wing has sued the organization, alleging the chief executive sexually harassed her and then fired her when she objected to his behavior.

The lawsuit claims that Newport Beach & Co. CEO Gary Sherwin made inappropriate comments that included urging the plaintiff to wear shorter skirts.

“You have to dress sexier and brand yourself like you work for the CEO,” the lawsuit alleges that Sherwin told Alicia Snyder during a performance review.

Snyder, of Irvine, worked at Newport Beach & Co. from November 2011 to August 2014, when she was terminated for complaining about the harassment, according to the lawsuit, which was filed April 6 in Orange County Superior Court.

In an interview Tuesday, Sherwin called the allegations a “nuisance lawsuit” that is “utterly without merit.”

“This is unfortunately a cultural dynamic where an employee gets terminated for cause and they’re trying to get a quick cash payment,” he said.

Newport Beach & Co. contracts with the city to promote Newport Beach as a tourist destination. The organization manages the nonprofit visitor bureau known as Visit Newport Beach, which is funded mainly by hotel occupancy taxes collected by the city and from membership dues from tourism businesses.

Newport Beach & Co. and Visit Newport Beach function separately from local government, though there is some oversight, including a city-appointed member on the groups’ boards.

Snyder’s lawsuit, which does not name the city as a defendant, also alleges that Newport Beach & Co. shorted her pay by incorrectly listing her as a salaried employee who was exempt from earning overtime, even though her mostly clerical job didn’t qualify her for that status.

Snyder claims she was working 60 to 70 hours a week without receiving overtime pay. That could become the more lucrative part of the case, Snyder’s lawyer Joel Baruch said.

“I don’t know how strong the sexual harassment [claim] is,” he said.

The suit seeks unspecified damages, including punitive damages against Sherwin.

The complaint accuses Sherwin of “constantly” asking about her dating life.

“For example, on at least one occasion he told [Snyder] words to the effect of ‘Don’t be a pushover and give in to sex with [a man]; don’t make it easy for him,’” the lawsuit states.

The suit says Snyder performed satisfactorily at her job, even though she was “subjected to minor disciplinary measures” from time to time because of “issues” with Sherwin.

“The sexually offensive and hostile work environment to which [Snyder] was subjected broke her spirit and caused her to have some issues with her work-related performance,” according to the filing.

Sherwin declined to talk about specifics of the litigation, including why Snyder was fired.

“Occasionally people do have to be terminated,” he said.