Ex-Utah College Official Files Sex Harassment Suit

A former associate dean at a for-profit college’s Ogden, Utah campus has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit, claiming repeated, unwelcome sexual advances occurred on a business trip in Las Vegas.

Lee Berger, in her complaint filed in federal court last week, claims her immediate supervisor kissed and touched her inappropriately in December 2010 while she and other colleagues were in Las Vegas.

Named as defendants are her former employer, Stevens-Henager College, and former supervisor, Mario Merida.

Berger says the fact that Merida, the school’s dean of allied health sciences, is married with children made her feel safe, and she was demoted after reporting the incident.

College CEO Eric Juhlin says the school is “committed to upholding the highest legal and ethical standards for its employees” and others but declined further comment.