A security guard at the de Young Museum has taken her bosses and their institutions to court, claiming a pattern of sexual harassment and retaliation that she says pushed her off the job. The lawsuit, filed Feb. 20 in San Francisco Superior Court, names the Corporation of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the City and County of San Francisco, and a museum security supervisor. The plaintiff, Ezra Iturribarria, says the conduct derailed her work life and is seeking damages.
In the complaint, Iturribarria describes a series of alleged episodes in which her superior repeatedly commented on her body, called her a prostitute, used the term “FUPA,” and allegedly floated sexual encounters involving himself and his wife, telling her, “You, me, and [my] wife would have a good time.” The filing says she reported the behavior on Oct. 2 and that the museum then conducted what the complaint calls a sham investigation. She says she was later told the supervisor would be put back into a role overseeing her, at which point she took unpaid leave. She is scheduled to return to work on April 1, depending on her psychologist’s direction. The complaint names Patrick Smithwick and asks for at least $25,000 in damages, according to reporting by The San Francisco Standard.
Defibrillator Episode and a Prior Federal Finding
Other guards who spoke with reporters say this latest complaint sits on top of a longer history of disputed decisions inside the de Young’s security operation. In 2023, staff at the museum were accused of refusing to loan out a museum defibrillator to help a man who had collapsed just outside the building and later died. The incident drew public outrage and triggered a review of museum procedures. San Francisco Chronicle coverage detailed the collapse and the museum’s response, which said paramedics were already on scene, and noted that the episode prompted changes to how equipment and training are handled.
Separate federal enforcement records show that Smithwick’s private company, Smithwick Executive Protection Patrol, was fined in 2013 for employment-related violations, according to Violation Tracker.
Guards and Past Lawsuits
Workers and public records indicate this is not the first time the Fine Arts Museums have faced legal trouble from within their own ranks. Multiple current and former guards, along with a cashier, have sued the museums in recent years, and the city has paid out settlements in several of those cases. Employees and advocates describe what they see as a repeating cycle of grievances, internal complaints and lawsuits that point to deeper structural issues in the museum’s security department. The new complaint follows the initial reporting that brought several of these accounts to light.
Union Representation Is a Flashpoint
On top of that, guards say their union setup complicates how disputes get handled. SEIU Local 1021 represents rank-and-file security guards, but it also represents several supervisors. Workers argue that this dual role can create conflicts of interest when they need to file grievances about people who are technically in the same union. SEIU 1021 says it assigns stewards in a way that avoids conflicts, yet guards told reporters they still worry about whether their complaints will get a truly neutral hearing. SEIU 1021 has pointed to its ongoing work with Fine Arts Museums members and stewards.
What Happens Next
The new lawsuit will move through the standard phases of civil litigation in San Francisco Superior Court. If the case is not resolved through mediation or a settlement, it could proceed into discovery and eventually land in front of a jury. Current and former guards say that, whatever the outcome for Iturribarria personally, the filings keep alive long-standing questions about how the museums handle workplace complaints and whether internal procedures and oversight will shift in response.
For now, the case adds another chapter to a running public debate over labor practices at one of San Francisco’s most prominent cultural institutions, and it keeps a spotlight on how the Fine Arts Museums and the City and County of San Francisco respond when staff raise concerns about safety and harassment on the job.
