SANTA CRUZ >> Former Santa Cruz Mayor Emily Reilly and her husband, Robert Nahas, have been sued by a former employee of Emily’s Good Things to Eat in Santa Cruz after Nahas allegedly groped the employee, made unwanted sexual advances, licked her coffee cup and sniffed her and her personal belongings.

Savanna Halliwell, who is in her early 20s, worked at the bakery from 2012 until May when she was forced to quit, according to her attorney, Katrina Saleen of the Palo Alto-based Broderick Saleen Law Firm.

“She’s really hurt by what happened to her,” Saleen said Monday.

“She made all these complaints and at every turn she felt that she wasn’t taken seriously. She wants to stand up to them and tell them what they did was wrong.”

Reilly and Nahas own Emily’s Bakery, which was established at 1129 Mission St. in Santa Cruz in 1982.

Reilly served on the Santa Cruz City Council from 2000 to 2008 and was mayor in 2003 and 2007. She is also a real estate agent at Bailey Properties in Santa Cruz.

Nahas is accused of touching Halliwell inappropriately at work. Reilly is not accused of any physical contact and is named in the suit because of her ownership of the bakery, Saleen said.

Reilly and Nahas declined to comment on the lawsuit Monday.

“This is a personnel matter, so it has to be confidential,” Reilly said.

“I wish I could talk about it but I can’t. We have to protect the privacy of our employees.”

Filed Thursday in Santa Cruz County Superior Court, the suit alleges sexual harassment, wrongful termination, retaliation, sexual discrimination and failure to prevent sexual harassment and sexual discrimination.

Halliwell was a manager at the bakery, and the suit alleges that Nahas often blocked the exit of the bakery before Halliwell could leave and forced her to hug him.

He demanded hugs and gave her unwanted kisses, according to the lawsuit.

Nahas also discussed his sex life and asked Halliwell about hers, according to the suit. He offered her cash in exchange for hugs and affection. When Halliwell complained, the behavior continued, according to the lawsuit.

The retaliation claim comes from the Halliwell being relieved of her managerial duties including accounting, billing, marketing and advertising after she complained.

Halliwell is suing for lost wages and for mental health treatment related to the experience, Saleen said. A sum was not specified, which is common in California civil suits because it’s not required.

Reilly and Nahas’ Monterey-based attorney, Chris Panetta of Fenton & Keller Law Firm, was out of the office Monday and unavailable for comment.

Saleen said the case was unusual for her.

“Most of my clients are very private or would like things to be as private as possible,” Saleen said.

“Once the complaint was filed and it’s an official public record, she (Halliwell) wanted to put it forward. She wanted to stand up for herself so people would know what was going on.”