Bray Testifies About Spaulding Sexual Advances

Testifying for the first time about the sex scandal that rocked San Diego City Hall last year, former city planner Susan Bray said Thursday that she submitted to sexual advances made by then-Planning Director Robert Spaulding for more than 2 1/2 years before she told him to leave her alone.

Bray, 47, testified in her civil lawsuit against the city that she lived in constant fear of losing her beloved job overseeing the Gaslamp Quarter during the time when Spaulding would come to her La Jolla apartment every two to three months or so and demand sex.

Although she refused to give an estimate of the number of sexual encounters, Bray testified that they were usually painful to her.

Bray was on the witness stand nearly all day as part of her case, which seeks to convince a jury of nine women and two men that she should be paid millions of dollars because a secret settlement to a sexual harassment claim was made public.

Bray had been taking Spaulding on a tour of the city shortly after he came to the area five years ago, when he asked to stop and use the bathroom at her apartment, she testified.

Once there, she said, Spaulding “shocked� her by grabbing her by the shoulders, spinning her around and kissing her.

“He said to me, ‘Susan, I am 40-some years old and this is something I’ve never done before and this is something I have to do,’ � Bray testified.

She was frightened, she said, as Spaulding pushed her toward her couch. She urged him not to proceed, she testified, telling him it was wrong for her to have sexual relations with a boss and married man.

When asked by her attorney, “Did you submit to sex with him that evening?� Bray responded, “Yes.� The explicit details of the sexual relationship were not discussed in open court.

After they had intercourse, Bray said, Spaulding drove her to a restaurant in Pacific Beach where the two had met earlier in the evening. “I kept begging him not to fire me,� she said about the trip.

Bray testified that she was afraid of Spaulding. “You feel like your life is over . . . because somebody else has taken over,� she said.

She testified that, after more than 2 1/2 years of Spaulding’s unannounced visits to her home, she was not able to work. She burst out crying when she said the relationship had robbed her of her identity. “I couldn’t be who I used to be,� she sobbed.

“I went into his office,� Bray said. “He closed the door, and I told him that I couldn’t go on anymore. I was getting sick.�

Although Spaulding apologized and said that she should be on a city-paid disability leave, Bray testified that he grabbed her buttocks as she left the office.

“This is never going to end,� she recalled thinking. “This is never, ever, ever, ever going to end.�

Trying to defuse testimony yesterday from Bray’s best friend that quoted her as saying she was in love with Spaulding for a time, Bray’s attorney, Frank Rogozienski, asked Bray about the one occasion when Spaulding came to her apartment and they did not have sex.

“I remember kneeling on the floor, putting my head in my hands and crying,� she said, explaining that she was ashamed and had been upset for some time.

Spaulding wrapped his arms around her and said, “If no one else cares about you, at least you’ll know I’ll always care about you,� she testified.

Although admitting she was drawn to him because he was being nice, Bray refused to admit that she was in love.

“Did you love him?� Rogozienski asked.

After a long pause, Bray responded, “I felt feelings that were very emotional toward him.�

It was under cross-examination from the city’s attorney, Michael Weaver, that Bray admitted she waited well over two years to order Spaulding out of her life.

Bray also told Weaver that Spaulding “did not rape me� and did not use physical force during their sexual encounters.