A Coos County Assessor’s Office employee alleges managers did little about a hostile work environment that allowed sexual harassment to continue for more than a month in the second tort claim filed with the county involving the department.

Kay C. Roach, a property appraiser with the county, contends the harassment persisted despite two letters asking for the problem to be addressed and two meetings with office management, including Assessor Bob Main.

“As I stated in my first letter dated March 14, 2008, I will not tolerate anymore of inappropriate behavior from my immediate boss,” Roach said in her second letter to Main, dated March 28. “This has got to stop today.”

Letters included with the claim also describe issues separate from the sexual harassment claims. Roach claims that starting in 2008 assessor-elect Adam Colby frequently lost his temper, degraded and threatened Roach and other workers in the office. At the time, Colby was a commercial appraiser in the office, but was to assume the chief deputy position once then-chief deputy Barbara Foord retired in June.

Roach sent her first complaint letter to Main on March 14, 2008. Roach asked Main and later Human Resources manager Steve Allen to address the harassment and other work environment issues. She sent her last letter on Sept. 3. Five days later, Roach’s lawyer, North Bend attorney Juli Hall Upton, filed the claim with the county’s attorney Jacki Haggerty. Roach has also filed a worker’s compensation claim in connection with the incidents.

In January, Colby will become the county’s assessor and Main will take office as a county commissioner. But neither will talk about the tort claims or the content of the letters.

“I can’t comment,” Main said Monday.

Colby, too, declined, saying he was instructed to refer questions to Haggerty.

“I’m still an employee with the county,” Colby said Monday. “I’m not at liberty to talk about personnel issues.”

Last week, Colby said he had been placed on leave since Sept. 30, after requesting the county commissioners investigate personnel issues in the assessor’s office, including his own conduct. County officials would not confirm Colby was placed on leave or say who did it.

Roach contends in her tort claim that she was sexually harassed. She suffered emotional distress, unequal treatment based on gender and intentional harassment. The notice also claims Roach was subjected to a hostile work environment. It alleges the county and Main failed to address the issues.

Roach’s letters detailed months of harassment, verbal abuse and intimidation, starting in February. Roach said a supervisor touched her inappropriately on three occasions, including one instance in which the man “smacked me on the butt with his hand.”

She wrote that he later apologized for his actions after Main talked to him about his behavior, but later the same day threw a T-shirt at her and hit her in the head while she was working.

Two weeks later, Roach said he poked her in the waist with his fingers as he walked past her in a hallway.

Roach’s lawyer, Juli Hall Upton said her client filed the claim and the included letter to the “best of her knowledge, opinion and belief.”

When contacted Monday, Roach said she still is employed in the assessor’s office and referred all questions to Upton. Haggerty received a separate tort claim notice on Aug. 26. It also involved the assessor’s office and listed similar allegations.