Controller Drops Suit Against Lottery
State Controller Kathleen Connell has dropped a lawsuit she filed in December against the California lottery, officials said Friday.
The lottery had called the suit silly, political and an unnecessary burden on taxpayers, but Connell had said the suit was necessary for proper, independent scrutiny of the lottery by her auditors.
With the dismissal of the suit, both sides claimed victory and disagreed with each other’s assessment of where the issue stands. But representatives of the lottery and the controller’s office said the two agencies had agreed to resolve the matter.
The suit, filed in Sacramento Superior Court, was the latest development in a feud between Connell and the lottery. The friction has roots in a requirement in the 1984 lottery legislation that the gambling operation be audited periodically by the controller’s office.
The suit charged that the lottery had exceeded its authority by requiring auditors to submit to background checks before examining its books.
The lottery said all employees, retailers, suppliers and others with whom it comes in contact must submit to detailed background and security checks as a means of preventing anyone from tampering with the games.
Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter
Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond. In your inbox three times per week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
