County Court Administrator Alleges Whistleblower Retaliation

One of the best things about being a public sector employee with a 9 to 5 job is that you never have to work on federal holidays.  If you go to a social gathering on such an occasion, the other guests will be amazed at your stories of the dysfunction that goes on in the organizations whose purpose is to set and enforce the rules that, in theory, everyone must follow.  Tales of incompetent and corrupt officials of yesteryear make for entertaining party stories, but at work, your job is to be fair to the public and to the employees that you supervise.  Unfortunately, the coworkers whose misconduct you are trying to curb usually do not take kindly to your reminders that they are not above the law.  A Los Angeles Retaliation lawyer can help you if you are employed in a law-related field and your employer took an adverse action against you in response to a whistleblower action.

Plaintiff’s Exposure of Judge’s Misconduct Was the Final Straw

The plaintiff in a currently pending lawsuit is a Black woman who was employed in a managerial role in the court system of a California County where African Americans account for a very small percentage of the population.  She relocated from another county in order to take the job in 2017, and as soon as she started her new job, one of the judges began making comments about how the plaintiff would not fit in at the job and in the county.

During the plaintiff’s tenure, the employees of the county court system faced the challenging task of keeping the courts operating during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The plaintiff faced a series of interpersonal conflicts with an employee she hired in 2019.  This employee, a White woman, consistently undermined the plaintiff’s authority and reported to other managers in an attempt to bypass the plaintiff.  Several judges routinely treated the plaintiff in disrespectful and discriminatory ways.

The final straw came when a member of the public notified the plaintiff of troubling content in a video on the court’s website showing events that had taken place in the courtroom.  The member of the public said that, in the background of the video, someone could be heard using profanity and talking about a sex tape involving public officials.  When the plaintiff watched the video, she recognized the voice making the comments as belonging to a judge in the county.  When the plaintiff notified another judge about the matter, he instructed her to destroy the recording.

The plaintiff is suing the county and alleging racial discrimination and employer retaliation.  She is one of several Black employees of this county who have recently filed racial discrimination lawsuits.

Speak With a Los Angeles Whistleblower Retaliation Lawyer

A Los Angeles employment discrimination lawyer can help you if your employer tried to punish you for acting in the best interest of the public and just for being you.  Contact Litigation, P.C. in Los Angeles, California to discuss your situation or call (424)284-2401.

Source:

pressdemocrat.com/article/news/former-sonoma-county-court-executive-sues-state-system-presiding-judge-al/