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Los Angeles DA George Gascon hit with new lawsuit: 'Required prosecutors to unlawfully hide the truth'
By Audrey Conklin
Published April 27, 2022
A group of Los Angeles County deputy district attorneys (DDAs) on Monday filed a new lawsuit against the county and District Attorney George Gascon.
Deputy District Attorneys Peter Cagney, Richard Hicks, Mindy Page and Karen Thorp are accusing Gascon's office of demoting them from their positions for expressing opposition to his resentencing policies.
"Each Plaintiff was removed from their position as a result of disclosing and/or refusing to engage in illegal activities as directed by their supervisors, including, but not limited to, George Gascon, Joseph Iniguez and/or Diana Teran," the complaint filed in the LA County Superior Court states.
Recall George Gascon sign. Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon is facing a recall attempt and criticism from various sides over his criminal justice reforms. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP)
Plaintiffs allege that they were "subjected to adverse employment actions because they disclosed that the resentencing guidelines and directions they received from their supervisors were violations of the current state of the law, and/or refused to carry out unlawful directives and/or orders given to them by their supervisors."
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The Los Angeles Deputy District Attorneys Association (LAADDA), which has filed two lawsuits against Gascon, has argued that several of the DA's directives violated state law, including one that blocked DDAs from filing strike prior enhancements in new cases and allegedly ordered prosecutors to "dismiss existing charges that [Gascon] personally disagreed with," as LAADDA Vice President Eric Siddall previously told Fox News Digital.
In 2021, a judge blocked Gason's policy aiming to block prosecutors from seeking longer sentences for repeat offenders under the state's Three Strikes Law, which states that defendants convicted of any new felony after being convicted of previous felonies be sentenced "for twice the term otherwise provided for the crime," or a minimum 25 years if they have two or more prior "strikes," according to the county. The directive also blocked prosecutors from seeking longer sentences in several other types of cases.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon speaks at a press conference, December 8, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP)
The latest complaint states that all four plaintiffs "either opposed or disclosed to their supervisors that laws were being violated if they followed Gascon’s hastily conceived new resentencing guidelines, and that prison inmates that posed a serious and dangerous risk to society would be or were released from prison."
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Gascon’s policies "effectively required prosecutors to unlawfully hide the truth from the courts by mischaracterizing many violent offenses and hiding the inmate’s propensity for violence, and danger to the community if given an early release from prison, from the courts and resentencing judges," the lawsuit alleges.
Plaintiffs say they suffered loss of wages and benefits, mental or physical distress, attorneys fees and other damages as a result of Gascon's alleged decision to demote them for expressing disapproval over his directives.
Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon is facing a second recall attempt as criticism over his progressive policies intensifies. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
A spokesperson for Gascon's office declined comment "because there is pending litigation."
The complaint is one of several lawsuits that DA office employees have brought against Gascon. DDAs Maria Ramirez, Victor Rodriguez and Jon Hatami also allege that they faced retaliation from Gascon's office after expressing opposition to his policies.
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Nearly 98% of the 83.3% LA prosecutors who participated in a recent poll voted to support a Gascon recall effort endorsed by 30 cities within LA County.
The LA County Registrar approved the recall, which is now seeking between 800,000 and 900,000 petition signatures, last year in the midst of the county's violent crime spike that began in 2020.
Fox News' Ronn Blitzer and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/los-angeles-gascon-new-lawsuit