Former California employee to get $350K to settle sexual harassment claims against state treasurer

SACRAMENTO, California — The state of California has agreed to pay a former employee $350,000 to settle her claims that Democratic Secretary of State Fiona Ma sexually harassed her.

The settlement filed Friday in Sacramento County Superior Court stems from a 2021 lawsuit filed by a former employee of the treasurer’s office, Judith Blackwell, who alleged that Ma exposed herself and got into bed with her when they shared rooms at a hotel and a rental home.

Ma denied the allegations and called the agreement a vindication in a statement.

“From day one, I have said this was a frivolous lawsuit brought by a disgruntled employee who fabricated claims in an attempt to embarrass me in the hopes of receiving millions of dollars in settlement,” Ma said.

The trial has been postponed several times, but was scheduled to start in September.

The lawsuit alleged that Ma often rented hotel rooms and a house in Sacramento where staff could stay after working late. Blackwell said that while they were sharing rooms, Ma repeatedly called her into her bedroom, showed her her bare buttocks and climbed into Blackwell’s bed with her on at least one occasion.

In a statement last year Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Christopher Krueger dismissed Blackwell’s allegations of racial discrimination and wrongful termination, but cleared the way for the sexual harassment allegations to go to trial.

Ma, a former lawmaker, announced earlier this year she would run for lieutenant governor in 2026. The treasurer manages government investments, serves on the boards of pension funds, and oversees programs that provide tax breaks for affordable housing and financing of public works.