OC Supervisors Move to Settle Eight Harassment Cases Against District Attorney

Orange County Supervisors told their lawyers to determination up with settling lawsuits from 8 antithetic women who worked astatine the region prosecutor’s bureau who claimed they were sexually harassed and that District Attorney Todd Spitzer punished them for bringing up their complaints. 

The determination ends 2 years of ineligible battles that spilled into nationalist during Spitzer’s 2022 reelection campaign, erstwhile helium was sued by Tracy Miller, 1 of his apical prosecutors who alleged she faced retaliation from Spitzer for helping radical study intersexual harassment. 

All 8 of the harassment claims focused connected Gary LoGalbo, 1 of Spitzer’s appointees and the champion antheral astatine his wedding, which a region HR probe recovered regularly sexually harassed women astatine the office, earning him the nickname “Scary Gary.” 

[Read: OC Supervisors to Quietly Discuss Eight Harassment Lawsuits Against District Attorney]

While Spitzer declined to remark connected the litigation earlier the meeting, helium issued a abbreviated connection aft the supervisors delegated negotiations to their lawyers. 

“These women merit compensation for Gary LoGalbo’s misconduct,” Spitzer said. “As soon arsenic I was briefed astir it I took contiguous enactment and enactment him connected administrative leave.” 

The 8 women who sued him disputed that successful their lawsuits against him, claiming Spitzer called LoGalbo’s accusers “dishonest” and encouraged them not to writer him. 

“Mr. Spitzer embarked connected a run of retaliation against Plaintiff and different victims of Mr. Logalbo for blowing the whistle connected his “best” friend,” wrote 1 of the women who sued Spitzer. 

Miller besides claimed successful her suit that Shawn Nelson – a erstwhile OC Supervisor and Spitzer’s close manus antheral astatine the DA’s bureau – came guardant with threats. 

“Nelson threatened to instrumentality distant each promotional work from Miller and different Senior Assistant District Attorneys that provided statements successful the intersexual harassment probe against LoGalbo,” Miller wrote successful her suit. 

It remains unclear however overmuch wealth Miller oregon the different women volition receive.

At Tuesday’s supervisor’s meeting, County counsel Leon Page said the committee gave his bureau the powerfulness to negociate the last settlements.  

“The committee unanimously delegated to region counsel and extracurricular counsel constricted colony authorization to settee assorted cases of intersexual harassment and intersexual discrimination.”

Noah Biesiada is simply a Voice of OC newsman and corps subordinate with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him astatine [email protected] oregon connected Twitter @NBiesiada.

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