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Deputy district attorney in Los Angeles he’s suing his boss at the last minute as he faces a tough re-election rival on Tuesday.
Infighting between Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon and his own office could continue to cost county taxpayers millions of dollars even if he loses.
Gascon faces about two dozen similar retaliation lawsuits brought by rank-and-file prosecutors in his office who have publicized actions they consider soft on crime, unfair to victims and potentially illegal.
Assistant District Attorney Shawn Randolph was awarded the A Award Settlement for $1.5 million last year after she filed a retaliation lawsuit, arguing that she was reassigned to a lower position after expressing concerns about Gascon’s policies that may have violated victims’ rights under Marsy’s Law. Another prosecutor, Richard Doyle, received an $800,000 settlement in his own whistleblower lawsuit.
LA PROSECUTOR SAYS GASCON BOSS SENT COPS TO INTIMIDATE HER AT HOME AFTER STAR ON CRIME NOTE
Los Angeles Assistant District Attorney Tatiana Chahoian found herself in hot water after an interview with FOX 11 Los Angeles in which she dropped a note on street racing prosecutions and street “takeover” cases in the county. (FOX 11 Los Angeles)
Gascon was recently deposed in another retaliation lawsuit brought by John Lewin, the assistant district attorney who put the subject of “The Jinx: The Life and Death of Robert Durst” and real estate heir Robert Durst behind bars.
In September, the Los Angeles Association of Assistant District Attorneys sued Gascon for allegedly improperly denying or ignoring public records requests.
The latest lawsuit came from Tatiana Chahoian, another assistant district attorney, who raised concerns about a memo calling on prosecutors to downplay street racing cases after wealthy Los Angeles celebrity Rebecca Grossman killed two boys and narrowly missed hitting their mother and a third child in a car accident. pedestrian crossing.
In response, Gascon allegedly sent an armed officer to her home with a disciplinary letter, blocked her from routine promotions, and assigned her an “overwhelming workload” of 60 to 100 cases a day. The lawsuit says Chahoian became so physically ill as a result of the alleged retaliation that her health deteriorated, she lost only 89 pounds and had to take numerous sick days to recover.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon addresses the media during a news conference on developments regarding brothers Erik and Lyle Menendez, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
“To illustrate this demanding schedule, Chahoian’s presence was required in so many places that she could not even use the restroom without first asking for permission,” her lawyers wrote in the civil complaint.
After suffering a seizure on the way home from work, she received a doctor’s note stating that she should not drive for more than 15 minutes at a time. Her supervisors allegedly forced her to continue her 55-minute commute to work for a month, then transferred her to another position where she immediately excelled, according to the lawsuit.
According to Chahoian’s lawsuit, Gascon’s chief deputy for charge review, John Harlan, urged prosecutors in an internal memo not to pursue criminal charges against suspects charged with street racing, reckless driving and non-injury street takeovers.
Instead, prosecutors were asked to consider an “initial deferred prosecution” – which her lawyers likened to “a stern warning carrying minimal liability.”
An investigator from the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office left a letter of reprimand under the prosecutor’s door, which the recipient said was intended to intimidate her after she made controversial comments. (Courtesy of Tatiana Chahoian)
“WOKE” DA SUED BY HIS OWN OFFICE FOR ALLEGED ETHICS PROTECTION BOSS ACCUSED OF CRIMES
The memo encouraged prosecutors to “act illegally,” according to Chahoian, who expressed her concerns in a local TV interview after receiving it.
“It’s like saying if someone shoots at someone else and they shoot poorly and miss, we won’t press charges because nothing happened,” she said. FOX 11 Los Angeles at the time, adding that the internal notice left her in a “state of shock.”
A few days after the interview aired, an armed investigator from the district attorney’s office showed up at her door with a disciplinary warning that would normally have been emailed, she told Fox News Digital.
The lawsuit says Gascon’s office also passed her over for a promotion in retaliation for her public comments.
“For almost four years, George Gascon lied to the people he swore to serve,” Chahoian said through her legal team over the weekend. “His misguided policies have led to increased violence and amplified rhetoric.”criminals are victims, and the victims are an inconvenience.”
On Election Day, Gascon will face independent candidate Nathan Hochman, a former federal prosecutor. He received support from the assistant prosecutors union and many individual prosecutors who sued Gascon for alleged retaliation or questioned his policies.
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“Ms. Chahoian acted in the public interest by expressing concerns about life-threatening prosecutorial policies; “This case underscores her courage to uphold these values even in the face of Gascon’s attempts to intimidate her into silence,” one of her lawyers, Anthony Fusaro, said in a statement.
“By consistently putting the interests of criminals ahead of the lives and safety of Los Angeles residents, Gascon has disregarded his duty to uphold justice, and his response to criticism shows a disturbing reliance on intimidation rather than working constructively with prosecutors to protect the public to which I swore an oath to belong. serve.”
A spokesman for Gascon’s office declined to discuss the lawsuit.
“Our office does not comment on pending litigation or personnel matters,” she told Fox News Digital.