Former state legislator drops bid for reinstatement

SACRAMENTO -- Former state Sen. Tony Mendoza has dropped his lawsuit against the Legislature.

Mendoza had been seeking to have his Senate privileges restored and to have a Senate resolution allowing the body to expel members declared unconstitutional. The motion to dismiss was granted on Friday. Mendoza v. California State Senate, 00227171 (Sacramento Super. Ct., filed Feb. 15, 2018).

The suit was filed a week before Mendoza resigned after an investigation by the Legislature found he "more likely than not" sexually harassed six young female staffers during his years in office.

His law firm, Downey Brand LLP in Sacramento, deferred comment to Mendoza's campaign spokesman, who did not return a call.

Mendoza remains a candidate in both the June primary and a simultaneous special election to replace him. He had filed a separate complaint against the California Secretary of State, seeking the right to call himself "State Senator" on the ballot, but a judge dismissed that case.

He and the Senate are also co-defendants in a retaliation suit filed by his former legislative director. She claims she was fired for reporting Mendoza's inappropriate behavior toward a young female intern. Ruelas v. California State Senate, 00230185 (Sacramento Super. Ct., filed April 3, 2018).