Lawsuit Says Governor Is Shielding Comp Official Accused of Bullying, Harassment

Wednesday, March 3, 2021 | 0

A lawsuit filed Friday claims New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office ordered state departments to withhold record requests to shield a workers’ compensation official who has a history of bullying and harassing employees, according to a news report from The Santa Fe New Mexican.

Kenneth Owens

The lawsuit, filed by Bruce Wetherbee, a former Santa Fe resident who now works as an independent journalist in New England, alleges that the Department of Workforce Solutions, the New Mexico Workers' Compensation Administration and the governor's office have held back public records regarding Kenneth Owens, the workers' compensation acting deputy director and mediations bureau chief, The New Mexican reported.

Wetherbee’s lawsuit asks a judge to force the government agencies to turn over the records, as well as unspecified damages and legal costs, the newspaper reported.

Owens was accused of “bullying and inappropriate behavior toward female employees” in 2015 when he oversaw a nonprofit organization while working as assistant attorney general, the newspaper reported, citing court records and media reports from that time.

A lawsuit filed in 2015 alleged that Owens “attempted to assert control over the employees of the company” and “behaved unprofessionally toward female employees who had more experience in relevant areas,” the newspaper reported.

The lawsuit also claimed Owens sought an “inappropriate relationship” with at least one female employee. Owens resigned from the Attorney General’s Office after the lawsuit was filed, the newspaper reported.

The state Workers’ Compensation Administration hired him as a mediation attorney two years later, and he was eventually promoted, the newspaper reported. 

Wetherbee’s lawsuit alleges that, in 2019, Owens withdrew his name from consideration for the acting deputy director job after he was pressed about issues that appeared in a background check. A few months later, Owens was appointed to the role anyway, the newspaper reported.

The New Mexican reported that a spokesperson for the governor’s office declined to comment on the lawsuit Monday.