The woman who said Filner grabbed her from behind and put her in a headlock took the stand Tuesday, saying she suffered depression and anxiety following the incident.
This trial involves city parks manager Stacie McKenzie, who says former San Diego mayor Bob Filner inappropriately touched her at an event in April 2013. The trial is a part of a sexual harassment scandal that forced Filner to resign less than a year into his term.
Opening statements, followed by testimony in the trial, began Tuesday.
Filner has strongly denied all accusations, including McKenzie’s, although after his resignation he pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and battery involving victims of sexual harassment.
The plaintiff's attorney Manuel Corrales used a mannequin to describe what McKenzie said happened.
"He puts his right arm around her neck, and he puts his left hand on her arm, and he firmly holds her arm and her firmly holds her neck in a choke hold, and she doesn't know what's going on, but her friends are kind of wondering what is he doing," said Corrales.
When McKenzie took the stand to testify Tuesday, she said when she first met Filner, he kept looking over at her.
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"His glances were lascivious in nature," she testified.
She said suffered depression and anxiety following the April 2013 incident, she said. She says the city knew about Filner's behavior and didn't stop it.
Assistant City Attorney, George Schaefer represents Filner and the city in the case.
In the cross examination, he questioned whether McKenzie watched a media conference when former city council member Donna Frye accused Filner of acting inappropriately, questioning if she saw the so-called chokehold.
"And before that press conference, would it be fair to say that you had not heard any type of indiscretion that Mr. Filner had with women in San Diego? Sexual?" Schaefer asked.
"No," she testified.
Schaefer said McKenzie's claims do not meet the state's description of sexual battery.
"What is in dispute is whether that behavior, that unprofessional behavior under state law rose to the level of constituting a sexual battery and sexual harassment in the workplace," Schaefer said.
Taxpayers have paid more than a $1 million to settle cases in the scandal the City Attorney's office has said.
Since this is a highly publicized case, jurors have been instructed by the judge to avoid watching news coverage of the scandal as to not affect their objectivity.
Filner resigned from the mayoral office in 2013 after multiple women accused him of unwanted advances and touching.
