Hot off the press. Jess Carbajal Files Lawsuit For Wrongful Termination & Retaliation Against Orange County For Botched Investigation Directed By High Level Superiors
Senior County executives attempted to make the fall guy for the improper investigation they directed into initial sex allegations leveled against then Santa Ana City Councilman and Public Works Department Executive, Carlos Bustamante. A copy of the Complaint filed by Carbajal attorneys Wylie Aitken, Michael Penn, and Gary Bennett against the County of Orange is attached.
Jess Carbajal was appointed Director of the Orange County Public Works Department on November 10, 2009. On July 10, 2012, after a decade employed by the County with superior performance evaluations, Jess Carbajal was terminated allegedly for “cause” from his employment (when the cause in fact was political favoritism of superiors). Senior Orange County executives attempted to deflect from their own culpability to throw Jess
Carbajal “under the County Bus” for the County’s improper investigation and handling of sexual allegations made against Carlos Bustamante in March 2011. The County’s executive leadership retaliated against Jess
for the repeated objections he made about the County’s handling of the investigation.
Quote from Wylie A. Aitken, Esq: “Jess Carbajal’s termination was wrong on so many levels and the County
should be held accountable. In this case we have an upstanding and loyal public servant, Jess Carbajal, who was literally thrown under the County bus by leaders who continually refused to take responsibility for their unlawful actions. Jess acted appropriately throughout his handling of the matter. He voiced the right objections, he raised the right concerns, and acted professionally and capably throughout. Nevertheless, Jess was specifically and repeatedly instructed to follow a particular procedure. As the media and legal firestorm grew and leaders above Jess came under more and more scrutiny for their own actions, they decided to make Jess the scapegoat for their own failures.