A judge has ruled that Sheriff Alex Villanueva exceeded his authority when he rehired a fired deputy as part of a settlement agreement that sparked a bitter legal fight between Los Angeles County’s top elected leaders.

In a 17-page ruling last week, Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff said the settlement, in which the sheriff had offered Caren Carl Mandoyan full back pay and benefits worth more than $200,000, was void because it wasn’t approved by the Board of Supervisors.

“No statute grants the Sheriff the authority to control litigation or enter into settlement agreements on behalf of the County,” Beckloff wrote.

Later in the ruling, he wrote: “Mandoyan was not rehired from a properly certified eligibility list in December 2018. Accordingly, the Sheriff’s action to rehire Mandoyan was unlawful.”

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