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Fresno County Superior Courthouse, 1100 Van Ness Ave, Fresno on March 2, 2021.<\/p>\n
JOHN WALKER<\/p>\n
FRESNO BEE FILE<\/p>\n
The City of Selma and Mayor Scott Robertson are facing a harassment lawsuit brought on by a former employee.<\/p>\n
In a complaint filed last week, plaintiff Mary Jane Venegas, who worked for the city from March 2023 to October 2025, says she was subjected to harassment and retaliation during her employment.<\/p>\n
Venegas says issues began after she uncovered payroll discrepancies in 2023 and 2024 and reported them to her supervisors \u2014 including Robertson, according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n
While working with an independent auditor and reviewing the alleged discrepancies, Venegas says she was pressured to rush the process. The lawsuit says Selma Fire Department Fire Chief Jordan Webster was involved as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs Ms. Venegas continued to raise concerns regarding the seriousness of the discrepancies and the need for complete corrective action, City officials, including Mayor Scott Robertson and the Fire Chief, began intimidating Ms. Venegas and interfering with the audit and investigative process by threatening her with job (loss) and attempting to bully her,\u201d the complaint reads.<\/p>\n
Then, in 2025, Venegas says she received a complaint and was pressured to unveil the whistleblower\u2019s identity.<\/p>\n
When she declined to reveal the identity, Venegas alleges Robertson, as well as the city attorney Neal Costanzo, threatened her with legal action and job loss.<\/p>\n
Venegas says she reported the alleged retaliation to the then-city manager and was promptly placed on \u201cretaliatory administrative leave\u201d by the city before being discharged.<\/p>\n
Venegas says the situation would\u2019ve played out differently if she were a man.<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Venegas was not only deliberately targeted for engaging in protected activity but also for being a female. Defendants asserted dominance over her and treated her differently than her male counterparts. Defendants\u2019 dismissive, exclusionary, and undermining behavior reflects a broader pattern of disparate treatment that would not be directed towards a male colleague in the same or similar position,\u201d the complaint reads.<\/p>\n
Venegas is suing the City of Selma and Robertson over retaliation, gender discrimination, harassment\/hostile work environment, failure to prevent harassment, wrongful termination and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Webster and Costanzo are not plaintiffs in the lawsuit.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the city had not been served as of Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe city has not been formally served with the complaint that you provided and only became aware of the item through your inquiry. Because this is pending litigation, it would not be appropriate to comment on the allegations at this time. We will respond through the legal process once we have been served,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
Robertson did not respond to The Bee\u2019s requests for comment.<\/p>\n
This lawsuit is the latest controversy to befall Selma\u2019s mayor. In 2023, Robertson accused Francisco Santillan, the city manager at the time, of harassment \u2014 though a third-party investigation didn\u2019t support the allegation, per GV Wire<\/a>. After the investigation, city council reportedly apologized to Santillan for the \u201charassment, attempts at intimidation and retaliation\u201d he was subjected to from Robertson and councilmember Sarah Guerra, who is currently the mayor pro tem.<\/p>\n In 2024, Robertson faced backlash<\/a> for launching a political ad that featured the father of slain Selma police officer Gonzalo Carrasco, Jr.<\/p>\n Six months later, Robertson was charged<\/a> with talking to voters waiting in line to cast their ballots, a violation of California electioneering laws.<\/p>\n Venegas is seeking monetary damages and requesting a jury trial. A case management conference is scheduled for Dec. 15.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fresno Bee<\/p>\n
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