John Whitney v. The City of Vallejo and its Police Department, Joseph Allio, Andrew Bidou, and Greg Nyhoff
Published: May 17, 2024 | Result Date: Oct. 13, 2023 | Filing Date: Dec. 22, 2020 |Case number: FCS055842 Settlement – $900,000
Judge
Court
Solano County Superior Court
Attorneys
Plaintiff
Jayme L. Walker
(Gwilliam, Ivary, Chiosso, Cavalli & Brewer APC)
Defendant
Katelyn M. Knight-Karnesky
(Office of the Vallejo City Attorney)
Facts
Plaintiff, Captain John Whitney, sued the City of Vallejo, its Police Department, former City Manager Greg Nyhoff, and former Police Chiefs Joseph Allio and Andrew Bidou. He alleged that he was retaliated against and terminated for his protected whistleblowing activity while at the Vallejo Police Department (VPD). Specifically, Whitney stated his termination was a response to the fact that he repeatedly sought investigations related to police misconduct--including the excessive use of force by VPD officers; timecard fraud; racial discrimination directed at a Black detective; and the practice of "badge bending," whereby officers would bend the tips of their badges to celebrate the fatal shooting of a civilian. Captain Whitney reported misconduct to Bidou and Nyhoff. In addition to not heeding his requests for investigations, Whitney alleged that he, himself, was subject to a sham investigation and then was terminated. The department alleged that Whitney was terminated for deleting evidence from his phone when he was under investigation
Result
The case settled for $900,000.
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