Fired O.C. official could get back pay
A former Orange County assistant sheriff who was fired and sent to jail in a perjury conviction is in line to get a big pay day -- about three years of back pay with benefits for wrongful termination.
The tentative ruling in the wrong termination case was issued Friday by Orange County Superior Court Judge Andrew Banks.
During the trial, George Jaramillo’s lawyers argued that he was dismissed as the county’s second-highest ranking cop without being granted a hearing that sworn peace officers are entitled to under state law. He was fired in March 2004 by former Sheriff Michael S. Carona, who recently was convicted of witness tampering and sentenced to more than five years in prison.
Banks wrote that Carona violated Jaramillo’s rights under the state’s Public Safety Officer Procedural Bill of Rights when he was not given an administrative hearing.
Banks sided with Jaramillo’s argument that he was fired after telling Corona that he had misused county property, including automobiles and helicopters, for sexual liaisons.
Lawyers on both sides are trying to figure out exactly how much money the county owes Jaramillo for back pay and benefits from his termination in March 2004 to January 2007.
Joel Baruch, Jaramillo’s lawyer, estimates the amount is about $500,000, but does not include lawyer fees.
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