California: IN BRIEF : SANTA ANA : Judge Awards Bias Victim $1.8 Million

A judge, overturning a jury verdict, has awarded $1.8 million to a former top-level official with the city of Santa Ana who claimed that he was fired because of his age and his efforts to expose wrongdoing in city hiring, the fired official said. Donald Bott, 55, of San Clemente, now interim personnel chief for the city of El Segundo, had asserted that Santa Ana city officials laid him off four years ago because he refused to “play ball” in tolerating alleged mismanagement and favoritism in city practices. Six months ago, an Orange County Superior Court jury refused to award Bott damages as a result of his dismissal during a budget crunch after 17 years as director of personnel. But Judge Leonard Goldstein agreed to reconsider that decision, signaling that he found merit in Bott’s claim.