Sutter County ex-deputy wins $10M for wrongful termination

A former deputy sheriff who sued Sutter County for wrongful termination and sexual harassment won a nearly $10 million jury award.

The county argued the sexual harassment never happened, pointing to the lack of corroborating evidence.

Jacob Nalbandyan of Levin & Nalbandyan LLP in Los Angeles and James A. Clark of Tower Legal Group in Sacramento told the jury that their client, Maria Tahara, suffered mental and physical disabilities from three years of repeated harassment by her supervisor and a co-worker, according to court records. The harassment included unwanted touching of her posterior and other areas of her body, being cornered in rooms with threats of sexual assault and verbal sexual innuendoes such as, "I have dreams of having sex with you," according to the complaint. Tahara v. County of Sutter, CS19-0000737, (Sutter Cty. Super. Ct. filed March 29, 2019).

"When she finally found the courage to come forward to administration, it was swept under the rug. When nothing was done to correct it, she developed anxiety and sought treatment by health care providers who put her off work," Nalbandyan said in a statement Monday.

The trial lasted five days and the jury deliberated six hours before returning its verdict Friday.

A lawyer for the county did not respond to requests for comment.

Nalbandyan said the harassment was so intense that Tahara, who worked for the sheriff's department for nine years, took a six-week medical leave and was fired when she returned to work.