Orange County DA Todd Spitzer lost a lawsuit filed against him and the department by one of his female legal staff members earlier this Summer. The cost to OC taxpayers is high — $3 million to Tracy Miller, who was Spitzer’s top female prosecutor who had helped other women report sexual harassment from Spitzer staffer Gary LoGalbo.
In addition to the $3 million fine OC taxpayers are paying, Spitzer was ordered to pay $25,000 personally. The Voice of OC is reporting Spitzer is fundraising to retire this part of his debt asking donors to foot the bill that might otherwise “change our life trajectory.”
The thing is, Spitzer’s problem with women staffers precedes the Miller case by about eight years. Spitzer, as a County supervisor, fired his admin, Christine Richters, claiming she lacked basic computer skills to do the job. She sued for discrimination and harassment, and received a $150,000 settlement from Orange County. Richters actually had taken the classes and has the certifications from those classes paid for by the county.
So after the settlement and Spitzer’s public explanations of Richters firing, Richters sued Spitzer for defamation. She lost and was ordered to reimburse Spitzer for legal fees of nearly $20,000. Richters is an admin and has some physical disabilities that limit her career opportunities. Spitzer placed a lien on Richter’s home for $18,759.40. A bit petty for a wealthy man who’s asking for grace from donors so the fine he must pay the courts doesn’t hit his own bank account. Even if Spitzer did so to cover costs paid for by the county, he’s letting taxpayers pay a $3 million judgment against him for mistreatment of staff.
For what it’s worth, prior to COVID, I helped a local client hire Richters for a temporary event job in which she used her extensive computer skills for event registration work and the organization’s member communications and they told me she was wonderful. Their feedback was the complete opposite of Spitzer’s claims.
Short of filing bankruptcy, I don’t believe Richters will be able to pay off what she owes Spitzer. But perhaps, since he’s collecting donations to settle a debt, he can show a little grace to another former female employee he’s treated poorly as a county employee and forgive the debt. What Spitzer would get out of it is a show of consideration and actual kindness for a woman who once worked for him; because right now, why would *any* woman go to work for him?