The Los Angeles Times has asked a judge to order the disclosure of records pertaining to sexual harassment and misconduct in the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, claiming the county is obstructing the release of newsworthy information before the November elections.
The petition, filed Tuesday in Superior Court, stems from a lawsuit The Times filed March 2018 in which the newspaper accused the county of repeatedly breaking transparency laws. Among other things, The Times had sought records about sexual misconduct claims against employees of the district attorney’s office, as well as records of investigations and discipline stemming from such claims since January 2006.
The county has been delaying access to records related to sexual harassment or misconduct despite recently admitting it must disclose well-founded complaints of a substantial nature, the petition says. It also holds that the county has failed to release an anonymized index of incidents of sexual harassment and misconduct it already agreed to produce in discovery nearly a year ago.
“The County appears to be attempting to run the clock out on the upcoming election for district attorney in an effort to deny the public relevant information about the District Attorney’s management of complaints by employees in her office,” The Times wrote in its petition.
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