CALIFORNIA – A former employee of Cuesta College has filed a lawsuit against the educational institution and several of its workers, alleging retaliation and causing emotional distress.
Andrew Kranes, who worked as a general maintenance worker at Cuesta College for five years, filed complaints with the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office in November 2021. In these complaints, Kranes accused his colleagues of allegedly using university supplies for personal benefit.
The accusations included the use of Cuesta’s gasoline to fuel work vehicles and the use of university workshop tools for the repair of personal vehicles. Kranes claims to have been subjected to retaliation after filing these complaints.
In March 2022, he received an unsatisfactory performance review, the only one during his time at Cuesta, as alleged in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit for retaliation and emotional distress details an incident that occurred on May 11, 2022, where Kranes’ wife, Harmony, and their two young children were involved in a altercation in a Cuesta parking lot. According to the plaintiffs’ version, Harmony had an exchange with one of the employees mentioned in the previous complaints, which triggered a series of retaliation and harassment towards the family.
The legal document also describes a prolonged period of hostility towards the Kranes family by the accused. This behavior included intimidating encounters, stalking, threatening gestures, as well as taking photographs and videos without consent.
This hostile environment caused deep distress to Harmony and her children, leading them to develop fear and anxiety. The situation reached its peak on July 15, 2022, when Harmony and her children were allegedly followed by one of the employees to the Cuesta College pool, triggering a panic episode in Harmony.
The emotional distress experienced by the Kranes family had serious repercussions on their daily lives. Harmony developed agoraphobia and anxiety-related insomnia, preventing her from participating in her children’s school life due to severe panic attacks and social anxiety.
Harmony’s son developed a fear of public restrooms, leading him to withhold urine for extended periods and eventually develop a urinary tract infection requiring medical attention.
Currently, the involved parties are scheduled for a case management conference on April 15, 2024, where the next legal steps regarding the lawsuit filed by Andrew Kranes and his family against Cuesta College and several of its employees are expected to be discussed.
