TRAVERSE CITY -- A woman filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, alleging her supervisor forcefully groped her as she cleaned a condominium.
Amanda McAllister, a housekeeper at the Acme Township resort, seeks at least $25,000 in damages following a Sept. 29 incident in one of the resort's detached condo buildings.
McAllister, in a two-count suit filed last week in 13th Circuit Court, alleges former housekeeping supervisor Milton Cordova grabbed her, forcibly held her, reached underneath her clothes and touched her genitals.
McAllister's suit alleges the resort did nothing after it received a complaint from another female employee of "similar conduct" by Cordova in October 2006. Instead, the resort eventually promoted Cordova to a supervisory position and allowed him to work alone with female employees, the suit alleges.
Cordova, 31, pleaded guilty on Oct. 31 to two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct for the incident involving McAllister. Grand Traverse Prosecutor Alan Schneider said the second woman identified in McAllister's suit was interviewed during the criminal investigation, but the charges to which Cordova pleaded involve McAllister and another female employee not mentioned in the suit.
That employee said Cordova pushed her down on a bed, held her down and touched her inappropriately the day before he assaulted McAllister.
The second count of the suit alleges Cordova's actions constitute a breach of contract because sexual harassment and discrimination are mentioned as prohibited activities in the resort's employee handbook.
Resort spokesman J. Michael DeAgostino said Cordova no longer works there, but he wouldn't provide details or comment on the suit's allegations.
"We never comment on employee matters," he said.
Cordova is living in the United States on a permanent resident alien visa, according to a note written by the investigating officer in his criminal case. Cordova was "very uncooperative" during that investigation, the officer wrote.
Local attorney Richard L. Benedict, who's representing McAllister, said she still works at the resort. He declined further comment.
