Facts

Plaintiff Thomas Stone was hired as Lassen County Administrative Officer in December 2010. Stone filed suit against the county after he was terminated seven months later.

PLAINTIFF'S CONTENTIONS:
Stone claimed he was terminated after he publicly disclosed the alleged illegal use of restricted HOME funds that he claimed was occurring for years without any accountability, and that the that it was an intentional breach of the public's trust.

Stone contended that shortly before Stone's disclosure, Supervisor Jim Chapman publicly stated at a board meeting that Stone "was the best thing to happen to this county in a long time." Plaintiff also contended that Supervisors Chapman and Bob Pyle both publicly rated Stone's performance as "A plus." Then, a few weeks after Stone's public disclosures, the same supervisors voted to terminate Stone. Stone argued that the only thing that occurred between the time of his comments and his termination was his public disclosure of alleged non-compliance with/violation of State and Federal regulations that implicated some long-term employees. Plaintiff contended that shortly after his termination, Supervisor Larry Wosick publicly pointed out the supervisors' questionable reasons for the termination.

Plaintiff claimed that he was defamed when a supervisor stated untrue reasons for the termination that cast doubt on Stone's integrity, honesty and professionalism.

DEFENDANT'S CONTENTIONS:
Defendants denied liability, stating that Stone was an at-will employee.

Settlement Discussions

The case was initially mediated unsuccessfully. Defendants subsequently served a CCP 998 for $300,000 that was not accepted.

Damages

Plaintiff claimed emotional distress and lost wages.

Result

The case settled for $350,000.

Other Information

FILING DATE: Jan. 29, 2013.