CalTAN SUES SAN DIEGO COUNTY SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS FOR ABUSE OF OFFICE

On July 7, 2016, California Taxpayers Action Network (CalTAN) filed a lawsuit in state court against San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) Superintendent Randolph E. Ward and Assistant Superintendent Lora L. Duzyk to recover pay increases they allegedly gave themselves and other top administrators without Board of Education approval in violation of the California Constitution and laws prohibiting conflicts of interest and abuse of public office. The lawsuit also alleges that Superintendent Ward gave himself illegal retroactive raises. If the lawsuit is successful, the defendants could personally be required to reimburse county taxpayers in excess of $100,000 for unauthorized compensation and pension contributions.

“Self-dealing by public officials, especially at the expense of students and taxpayers, has no place in government,” said CalTAN chairman Kevin O’Neill. “It would be an abuse of the trust that the public puts into these administrators to safeguard scarce financial resources and keep the well-being of students and taxpayers above their own personal interests.”

CalTAN is a statewide non-profit group of volunteers whose mission is to promote sound fiscal policies, practices and business methods by government entities for the benefit and protection of the public.

You can read a copy of CalTAN’s Complaint here: 1_Complaint FINAL ALL.

You can read a copy of CalTAN’s Request for Preservation of Evidence for Use in Litigation here: 2016-07-07_LitigationHold.

For further information, please contact CalTAN’s attorneys in this matter: Cory Briggs 619-497-0021 (cory@briggslawcorp.com) or Kevin R. Carlin 619-615-5325 (kcarlin@carlinlawgroup.com).