Former El Paso Zoo employee files sexual harassment lawsuit against supervisor, zoo director
by Elida S. Perez, El Paso Matters
March 27, 2025
A former El Paso Zoo employee alleges in a lawsuit that she was sexually harassed by her direct supervisor while the zoo director and a human resources employee did nothing to stop it.
The lawsuit alleges Anahí Chavez Villegas was sexually harassed by her then-supervisor John Kiseda and that zoo Director Joe Montisano and human resources employee Tracy Chavarria “were aware that Kiseda sexually harassed others, knew or should have known that the conduct constituting sexual harassment against Villegas was occurring and failed to take immediate and appropriate corrective action.”
The lawsuit, filed Dec. 2, 2024, alleges that shortly after Villegas was hired in October 2023 as a zoo registrar, Kiseda, her supervisor, “almost immediately” began sexually harassing her.
“Kiseda constantly asked Plaintiff into his office, alone, with the lights off, and he would shut the door. He would pull Plaintiff’s chair close to him and touch his legs to hers and she would pull away. When Plaintiff pulled away he would become frustrated and angry,” the lawsuit states.
The city declined to comment on the lawsuit. A response filed by the city Jan. 2 denies the allegations and claims governmental immunity, which shields government entities and officials from certain lawsuits.
The law firm Blanco Ordonez, Mata & Wechler, P.C, representing the city, Montisano, Kiseda and Chavarria has not responded to a request for comment.
Villegas’ attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Villegas is seeking monetary damages of more than $1 million, attorney fees, court costs, expert fees, and pre- and post-judgment damages, among others.
The city, zoo and Montisano have been embroiled in controversy the past few months, including its contentious separation from a former nonprofit that supported the zoo and this week’s loss of its Association of Zoos and Aquariums accreditation.
The lawsuit states that Villegas reported the sexual harassment to Montisano in November 2023, but said he did not do anything to address her concerns. Montisano told Villegas that Kiseda was a longtime employee and “seemed happy” with her so far and that they just needed time to “get used to each other,” the lawsuit states.
In December 2023, Kiseda allegedly yelled at Villegas, “reiterating that he is her boss, he has power over her, he has been there for 30 years, what he says goes, and that (Villegas) must do whatever he says whether she likes it or not. Later, he returned to Plaintiff’s office, shut the door, somewhat apologized, and reiterated that he was her boss and asked her if she understood.”
He then approached her and motioned for a hug and Villegas said no but he insisted, the lawsuit alleges.
“(Villegas) was trying to shield herself saying ‘no, no, no’ while he forced himself on her for an unwelcomed hug while rubbing her despite her protests,” the lawsuit states.
Montisano allegedly suggested that Villegas report the sexual harassment to human resources after another employee told him about the allegations after speaking to Villegas.
“Montisano expressed displeasure about the need for it to be reported and told (Villegas) to only go to him in the future so that he could handle it internally,” the lawsuit states.
Montisano allegedly minimized the sexual discrimination and sexual harassment and told Villegas not to provide details to the human resources department and required her to revise her statement several times before allowing her to submit the complaint Dec. 20, according to the lawsuit.
Montisano and Kiseda subsequently created a hostile work environment for Villegas by retaliating against her, scrutinizing her work performance and interfering with her ability to do her job, the lawsuit alleges.
Villegas allegedly reached out to Chavarria in human resources multiple times with additional concerns about ongoing retaliation and to check the status of her complaint, the lawsuit states. Chavarria in March 2024 told Villegas that the complaint report was being finalized with findings to present to Montisano, according to the lawsuit.
Villegas alleges the retaliation continued. She was fired on April 26, 2024, with the city telling her “it’s just not working out.”
In May she received a letter from human resources that her complaint was investigated and the case was closed.
The lawsuit was filed months after the city and zoo director came under scrutiny for a public battle between the city and its former nonprofit fundraiser the El Paso Zoological Society.
The city opted not to renew the long-standing contract with the nonprofit amid a slew of allegations by both parties. The city alleged that the organization was not properly spending funds it raised to support the zoo. The Zoological Society alleged that Montisano was improperly using funds for personal expenses, and also accused him of sexual harassment, among other concerns.
The zoo on Tuesday lost its Association of Zoos and Aquariums accreditation after not completing changes suggested in a January report. The accrediting commission also identified new issues in a follow-up report done in February. The city said the report did not raise any concerns regarding animal care and plans to appeal the decision.
