A Seattle City Light employee has filed a federal lawsuit alleging years of harassment, retaliation, and contract violations by the utility and its leaders after she reported being raped by a supervisor and later became a whistleblower in a high-profile workplace misconduct investigation, according to newly filed court documents.
The complaint, filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Seattle, names the City of Seattle, Seattle City Light, and four leaders at the utility: CEO Dawn Lindell, Director Brian Belger, Crew Chief David Maxfield, and Crew Chief John Hansen.
KIRO 7 News has chosen not to name the plaintiff, as she is the victim of an alleged sexual assault.
The plaintiff accuses the utility of violating her civil rights, discriminating against her because of her gender, retaliating after she reported misconduct, and breaching a 2022 settlement agreement meant to protect her.
According to the lawsuit, she began working for City Light in 2005 and became a cable splicer apprentice in 2008.
In 2011, after being promoted, she was pressured to join coworkers at a “BUY” celebration, a long-running initiation tradition.
At the gathering, the lawsuit says, she was given so much alcohol she could not get home on her own.
According to the lawsuit, her supervisor at the time drove her to his home and raped her while she was incapacitated.
She told investigators she stayed quiet because she feared she would not be believed in what she described as a “good old boys’ club” culture, and because she feared retaliation from her supervisor, who continued to harass and intimidate her for years afterward.
She later learned he may have been arrested on a jobsite the year before on unrelated sexual assault allegations, though she could not confirm the rumor.
The complaint alleges that when she sought help in 2014, telling Director Belger she had been raped and requesting to work on a different crew, Belger promised she would not be assigned to him.
According to the lawsuit, Belger did not report the allegation, in violation of City Light policy.
In 2019, she disclosed the rape to another crew chief, who praised her for “moving forward” rather than reporting it.
Neither man took further action.
By 2021, she said she faced renewed harassment, including her alleged rapist filing multiple baseless grievances against her and rifling through her personnel file without permission.
When she finally reported the assault to Seattle’s People and Culture division, an independent attorney investigated.
In January 2022, investigator Tara Parker concluded there was evidence that the supervisor had sex with the plaintiff while she was unable to consent.
The report found her account credible and corroborated by supervisors who believed she was truthful and afraid of him.
It also noted the workplace culture discouraged reporting misconduct, and confirmed he intimidated and bullied her.
Later that year, she filed a tort claim and reached a confidential settlement with City Light.
The agreement promised career protections, advancement opportunities, and a safe work environment.
But she alleges City Light quickly breached the agreement by leaking the settlement details to coworkers, who confronted her about the payout.
After the settlement, City Light launched a sweeping investigation into its Network division.
A 20-page report released in March 2025 described a workplace steeped in heavy drinking, intimidation, and misogyny.
Investigators found female employees were demeaned, hazed, groped, and pressured into giving alcohol to supervisors to secure fair treatment.
One woman said she had to physically distance herself at worksites to escape unwanted touching.
The report also found management tolerated or participated in the behavior, and some crew chiefs abused their authority to exploit women.
She was interviewed several times during the two-and-a-half-year investigation and was deemed credible.
But, according to her lawsuit, her identity as a whistleblower was leaked, leaving her vulnerable to harassment and ostracism from colleagues.
After the findings were shared with the Seattle City Council in April 2025, she says retaliation intensified.
Her calls were ignored, her work was sabotaged, and male coworkers spread false allegations that she engaged in inappropriate behavior.
On May 8, 2025, she filed a new tort claim alleging retaliation, discrimination, breach of contract, and constructive termination.
Minutes later, she was placed on administrative leave after being accused of sexually harassing a coworker—allegations she says were fabricated by male colleagues aligned with those disciplined in the investigation.
She has since lost more than $40,000 in wages and says she cannot return to City Light due to the hostile environment.
Her lawsuit seeks damages under federal civil rights law, the Washington Law Against Discrimination, and common law claims of negligence, constructive termination, and emotional distress.
She is also suing for breach of the 2022 settlement, alleging City Light failed to uphold its promises of protection and confidentiality.
Her attorneys argue the utility’s actions left her emotionally traumatized and effectively forced out of her job.
The suit requests a jury trial, compensatory and punitive damages, attorney fees, and other relief.
KIRO 7 News has reached out to Seattle City Light for comment.
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