Harassment suit brought against NLV entrepreneur

Kim Smith

Wednesday, Dec. 15, 1999 | 11:19 a.m.

A Las Vegas woman who is suing Vega Enterprises CEO Rafael "Ray" Vega for sexual harassment denied working for her own employment agency while on Vega's clock.

Socorro Keenan claims that Vega behaved inappropriately with her on numerous occasions while she was employed at Vega Enterprises between May 1995 and May 1996.

Vega Enterprises, which was founded by Vega in 1958, provides bar supplies and food service to the resort industry. It has consistently been named a member of the Hispanic Business 500, a list of top Hispanic corporations in the nation by revenues.

Vega also is an honorary consul general to Mexico and member of the state Commission of Economic Development.

Keenan testified Tuesday that during her 12 months at Vega Enterprises she worked herself up from the liquor, beer and wine sales division to marketing. She said that in May 1996 she was fired without warning and believes it was because Vega realized that she "wasn't going to take his staring, leering, disgusting looks anymore."

The divorced mother of three said that shortly after she started at Vega Enterprises, Vega started touching her inappropriately.

In one incident, Keenan said Vega grabbed her by the waist and began kissing her face and shoulders, telling her not to be scared.

"He was always leering, leering at my chest," Keenan said. "It was like a dirty old man would look at a young girl."

She stayed at Vega Enterprises because her daughter needed surgery for scoliosis and she needed the health insurance coverage, Keenan said. She also thought she would be able to avoid Vega.

Under cross-examination, Keenan said the first time she heard she had been fired for supposedly working for her own agency on Vega's clock was when the unemployment agency contacted her.

Keenan said that although she was still running her own executive search and marketing company, Supreme Agency, she only did so after hours. She denied checking with her secretary for messages throughout the day or returning phone calls during the day.

Keenan steadfastly maintained that her hours at Vega Enterprises were 7 a.m. until 3 p.m., despite defense attorney Eva Garcia-Mendoza's contention they were 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.

When asked which clients she spoke to at 7 a.m., Keenan said she didn't remember.

"Isn't it true that you only had one sale in the six weeks following your move to marketing, and it was only for $670?" Garcia-Mendoza asked.

Keenan said she was sure she made more, but she couldn't recall to whom.

Keenan said she waited more than one year to seek counseling because she was too busy trying to support her three children.