By Scott Schwebke | Daily Breeze
When George Gascón steps down as district attorney next month, he will leave behind not only a legacy of unpopular criminal justice reforms but also a raft of lawsuits filed by top prosecutors in his office that could cost Los Angeles County millions of dollars.
Two dozen deputy district attorneys are pursuing civil lawsuits alleging they faced retaliation when they defied the progressive Gascón and his lofty reform policies. One suit already has been settled for $800,000 and another led to a jury verdict of $1.5 million.
Resolving the suits will be a top priority for District Attorney-elect Nathan Hochman, a 60-year-old former federal prosecutor who handily defeated Gascón in Tuesday’s election.
“I will work as expeditiously as possible in addressing the lawsuits to help turn the page on the failed social experiment Gascón has wrought on Los Angeles County residents,” said Hochman, who ran on a tough-on-crime platform that gives prosecutors authority to make legal decisions on a case-by-case basis. “It doesn’t lend itself to an easy fix, but it’s a solvable problem that will require a lot of work.”
Read more at: Daily Breeze
