(KRON) — The County of San Mateo responded Monday to a declare filed final month by Sheriff Christina Corpus that alleged she is a sufferer of discrimination, harassment and defamation. The declare comes after a 400-page report was launched by the county’s unbiased investigator accusing the sheriff of racism, retaliation and abuse of energy.
Sheriff Corpus’ five-page declare towards the county was filed on Dec. 18 for the quantity of $10 million. The sheriff’s lawyer, Bradley Gage of Brad Gage Regulation, wrote within the declare: “There are some who unfortunately, still believe that law enforcement is a white man’s world. Some do not like the fact that Christina, who is a Latina, was elected Sheriff. False allegations have swirled around her, based on an incomplete investigation that was missing the key exculpatory evidence.”
In a press release Monday, the county stated, “Corpus’ claim that she has been discriminated against, harassed and defamed, and more so, because she is both a woman and a Latin X person, are completely baseless and a distraction from the issues that give rise to the present circumstances.”
San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus (KRON4 Picture)
Throughout the 2024 investigation report, which former choose LaDoris Cordell produced because the county’s unbiased investigator, it was alleged, “Lies, secrecy, intimidation, retaliation, conflicts of interest, and abuses of authority are the hallmarks of the Corpus administration.”
Monday’s assertion from San Mateo County continued: “The government claim, which includes wrong and misspelled names — including that of the sheriff herself and Supervisor Noelia Corzo — is largely devoid of any alleged facts supporting its conclusions and egregiously accuses Judge LaDoris Cordell of partaking in what the claim calls an “evil scheme”.”
The declare from Corpus had blasted the previous choose’s investigation as an “evil scheme” devised to “skewer” the sheriff with false allegations and unsupported findings. The declare additionally pointed to “29 pages of interviews” performed by Cordell that “were left out of what was misrepresented to be a complete transcript.”
‘White man’s world’: Sheriff’s lawyer blasts her critics
In response, the county this week stated, “Twenty-nine pages of the transcript were not included in the exhibit because they were not cited by Cordell nor were they material to the report. There was nothing nefarious about these pages not having been included in the exhibit but, given the interest in them, as mentioned, they are now available on the County’s website.”
San Mateo County’s assertion additionally offered transparency in how a lot Cordell was paid for the investigation. “Cordell was contracted to conduct the investigation at the rate of $750 per hour and the investigation and associated report cost approximately $200,000 to complete,” the county stated. “This is in line with both the cost of a complex and sensitive investigation of this nature as well as the level of experience, expertise and unique qualifications that Cordell brought to the matter.”
“The Sheriff was unavailable because of developments going on and this is something that is rapidly evolving so there is some new information that we have received that we want to check out so we can accurately report it to the media,” stated Gage.
The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors positioned an modification on the March poll, asking voters to grant them the facility to take away Sheriff Corpus from workplace.