Clifford v. American Drug Stores8/22/2005
gh Escarsega said that it was, Monreal did not hear anything further from him, and never heard that an investigation had been opened.
Clifford remained as general manager of the Buena Park store for approximately one year. In addition to his inspection visits, Doose came into the store every day to buy beer. One day, when Clifford saw him enter the store while she was in her office, she tried to come down to the floor so they would not be alone, but he met her on the secluded stairway, where he bumped up against her, saying that he was trying her on for size.
Clifford called Thompson again, and told him that she had tried talking to Doose, that she had told him to stop touching her, but that he would not, that he just did not seem to hear her, and she felt helpless. Thompson told her to talk to Doose again, and said that this was all he could advise at that time.
After that, whenever Clifford saw Doose enter the store, she would have her clerk tell him she was not in, and she would go to the women's bathroom. Once, when she was there washing her hands, Doose opened the door and stood in the doorway. When Clifford said to him, "Russ, leave or I'm going to scream," he came in, closed the door behind him, and replied, " f you scream, nobody is going to hear you." She pushed past him, went to her office, and locked the door. She had had the lock changed two weeks before, because Doose had a key.
On another occasion, after a meeting at the store, Doose asked Clifford for a form kept in the bookkeeper's office. He followed her into the bookkeeper's office, which had no windows, put his hand on the back of her neck, pressed her face down onto the desk, and put his body against her in such a way that she could feel his erection. Afraid, Clifford cried and struggled, and asked him to let her go, but he held her and told her to keep looking for the forms. When he finally released her, she was numb and momentarily unable to get up.
Clifford telephoned Thompson again immediately after the assault, left a message for him, and spoke to him the following morning. This time she was crying and emphatic with him. Thompson suggested that she transfer out of the store, and told her that Jeff Ashcroft, the general manager of the Montebello store, would be leaving soon.
Clifford also spoke to several colleagues about Doose's behavior, all general managers of other Sav-On stores. One of them, Dena Hasting, told her not to rock the boat, just to move on and look for another position, because she thought that nothing would be done. Clifford went into more detail with Mary Payton, because Payton had been with the company for 20 or 30 years. Payton said she knew Doose and what he was capable of, and she told Clifford that she had reported an incident to the company after she had been harassed, but nothing was done.
Another general manager, Matthew Marcella, gave similar
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