By Michael Howell
Robert Myers, candidate for District Court Judge, and his wife Jennifer Feighner, filed suit on July 5, 2016 in California Superior Court, San Diego County, against a former employee, Madison Alexander, whom they once employed as a nanny, and “Does 1 through 100,” over a letter to the editor written by Alexander and published (along with an accompanying letter by her mother) on the opinion page of the May 11, 2016 edition of the Bitterroot Star under the title “Mother, daughter concerned over judicial candidate.” Myers and Feighner are represented by the law firm of North, Nash, & Abendroth, LLP of Irvine, CA.
Alexander wrote about her experience working for Myers and how her employment was terminated while the family was on vacation in California. Alexander was 19 years old at the time. She claims in her letter that, among other things, Myers humiliated her and used profanity, shared wine with her in a hot tub and shared confidential information with her about his legal work and his sex life, making her feel very uncomfortable.
“I am writing about all this now because I believe that Rob Myers is the last person who should ever serve as judge in any county,” Alexander concluded in her letter.
Myers and Feighner, in the lawsuit, deny Alexander’s interpretation of events and all of her claims and accuse her of defamation and libel, invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, breech of confidential relationship, conspiracy to commit defamation, conspiracy to commit intentional emotional distress, and aiding and abetting.
In the lawsuit, Alexander is characterized as having a troubled past that could lead to mental, emotional and personality disorders. The lawsuit states that Alexander had told Myers and Feighner that she had “previously been kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and taken out of state to Utah by her former stepfather,” and the couple was concerned that it could pose a problem for her in performing her duties. But they decided to give her a chance and placed their trust in her and “treated her as if she was one of their own and lavished special benefits and privileges on her.”
However, over time, claim the plaintiffs, they noticed “peculiarities and eccentricities” in her behavior and concluded that “the extending of these perks and privileges to Defendant (Alexander) was not met with reciprocal good cheer or gratitude by her, but on the contrary, appeared to result in Defendant acquiring a sense of entitlement and a growing, self-centered petulance.” The complaint gives as an example her behavior on a trip to Disneyland where she insisted on going on a ride by herself that was not appropriate for the small children. When she asked a second time and was refused, “she became rude, insubordinate, and brash.” The plaintiffs claim her employment was terminated for her poor job performance.
The complaint alleges that Alexander’s letter was written with the intention of causing Myers emotional distress and damage to his reputation. The plaintiffs accuse one to 100 “Does” of conspiring with Alexander to make these false statements “willfully and without justification or privilege, and with the intention to expose Robert to ridicule, and contempt.”
The plaintiffs are seeking general, special and punitive damages, the amount to be determined at trial, on all 11 counts, from Alexander and the one to 100 Does who “conspired” with her in making her statements public.
Angela says
Meyers sounds like a bully!