Wife of Withdrawn Pasadena City Manager Pick Files Claim Against City of Riverside

Susan Freeman, the wife of Riverside City Manager Mike Futrell — who briefly agreed this spring to become Pasadena’s city manager before withdrawing — has filed a government claim against the City of Riverside, alleging that the city retaliated against her and damaged her reputation.

Freeman announced the filing Wednesday, June 10, in a videotaped statement, describing the claim as a response to a December letter in which the Riverside City Council accused her of harassing city employees, an accusation she denies. A government claim is a required step before a lawsuit can be filed.

“Today I filed a government claim against the city of Riverside. I did not do so lightly,” Freeman said. She said the claim “is about defamation and reputational harm” and “about retaliation and the first amendment.”

Freeman alleges the city of Riversde investigated her in retaliation for her criticism of public officials, and is seeking unspecified monetary damages for alleged constitutional violations, reputational harm, and pain and suffering, according to her claim.

In her statement, she said: “I was not interviewed. I was not given an opportunity to respond. I was not shown evidence substantiating their accusations.”

The claim stems from a certified letter the city sent Freeman on December 11, 2025. The letter asked Freeman to “cease all harassing telephone calls, emails, text messages, social media posts, or any other form of harassing communication to any City employee that lacks a legitimate purpose.”

The letter stated: “While your right to express your political opinions is protected speech, speech that harasses City employees and disrupts their ability to perform their duties is not protected.”

Freeman has said her contacts with city employees were limited to inviting them to events, offering advice and, in one case, soliciting donations for a tool lending library, and she denied that the communications were unwanted or harassing.

She also said in her statement that she did not interfere with the city, and that she believes the city council was given “incomplete, inaccurate, and misleading information by certain individuals inside City Hall.”

In her video statement, she said she had been “reduced to one role, the city manager’s wife,” a framing she called misogynistic.

The city confirmed it received the claim, according to the Pasadena Star-News.

Futrell’s path to Pasadena had appeared settled. Pasadena officials announced April 15 that he had agreed to become the city’s next city manager, with a May 13 start date. But on April 25, Mayor Victor Gordo and the City Council announced that Futrell would remain in Riverside and “withdraw from further discussions with the City of Pasadena,” and that Interim City Manager Matthew Hawkesworth would continue in the role.

“After thoughtful consideration, I have decided to remain in Riverside and continue serving as your City Manager,” Futrell wrote at the time, citing economic momentum in the city.

A copy of the claim was not immediately available. If the city rejects it, Freeman could move forward with a lawsuit, the step the claim is a required precursor to.