A San Diego jury yesterday hit the Orange County District Attorney's Office with a $3.5 million verdict, siding with prosecutor Bethel Cope-Vega in her harassment and retaliation lawsuit tied to allegations about a former senior prosecutor. The ruling marks the latest courtroom blow for the county and its elected DA as multiple employees accuse leadership of bungling reports of sexual and racial misconduct. The trial and verdict are piling fresh pressure on county bosses over how internal probes were handled and how confidential findings were shared.
After deliberating in San Diego County, the jury found Orange County liable in Cope-Vega's suit, according to MyNewsLA. Her complaint focused on conduct attributed to former senior prosecutor Gary LoGalbo, who retired while harassment claims were under investigation and later died. Attorneys said the case was moved out of Orange County because of the positions held by county leaders named in the litigation.
In court filings, Cope-Vega describes a workplace where she says she endured daily lewd comments, repeated leering and late-night phone calls from LoGalbo. Her lawyers say the allegations included remarks about her clothing and claims that he "knew the color" of her underwear, according to Voice of OC. Colleagues allegedly nicknamed him "Scary Gary" because of the pattern of behavior. Her legal team told jurors that supervisors and county officials not only failed to protect staff who reported the conduct but also punished those who spoke up.
Independent Probe Found Harassment And Raised Questions
To sort through the accusations, the county hired outside investigator Elisabeth A. Frater, who produced a 162-page report in May 2021 that found multiple harassment complaints were "sustained," The Los Angeles Times reported. The report was later released in unredacted form, a move that drew sharp criticism for exposing accusers. In a follow-up review, Frater questioned whether county officials had followed policy when they circulated the document to staff and the media. Plaintiffs argue that the disclosure undercut confidentiality protections and helped set the stage for retaliation claims that would later become lawsuits.
Another Jury Win Last Year Pushed The Issue
The Cope-Vega verdict follows a separate San Diego jury decision last June, when former supervisor Tracy Miller won $3 million in economic damages and $25,000 in punitive damages after jurors found she had been retaliated against for supporting women who complained about LoGalbo, according to AP. That win, along with out-of-court settlements for other claimants, has already cost the county millions and pushed the Board of Supervisors to bring in outside counsel to handle anticipated litigation. Attorneys for the plaintiffs say the string of rulings points to systemic problems inside the DA's office, while county officials say they will review the decisions and consider appeals.
Money And Management
In December, a judge awarded Miller roughly $1.54 million in attorneys’ fees, an additional payout that county officials said would come from the general fund, according to the Orange County Register. Before that, county risk-assessment lawyers had negotiated a roughly $6 million global settlement that the Board of Supervisors rejected in August 2021, then hired the law firm Sheppard Mullin to defend the county. Plaintiffs' attorneys now point to those choices as a costly miscalculation that has driven up legal bills and political scrutiny for county leaders.
County Response And What's Next
The District Attorney’s office has maintained that it supports victims of harassment but has pointed a finger at County Counsel for declaring the Frater report a public record and for not shielding employees' identities, a spokeswoman said in a statement reported by MyNewsLA. With Miller's verdict, prior settlements and the attorneys’-fee award, plaintiffs' filings and news reports put the county's running tab in the low-millions and note that several related lawsuits are still pending. Plaintiffs' lawyers are urging the Board of Supervisors to revisit its policies and oversight of the DA's office, while county officials weigh their options, including possible appeals.
