San Diego City Attorney Mike Aguirre just issued a press release announcing that Amy Lepine, a former employee and later electoral opponent, dropped her civil suit against him. The settlement awarded no money to either side, and no admission of wrongdoing.
In 2006, Lepine sued the city and Aguirre as an individual for wrongful termination and sexual harassment. She had been working for Aguirre on his pension investigations since coming on board in August 2005. Her suit alleged that he systematically demeaned her and other women in the City Attorney’s office and that on at least one specific occasion bullied her into signing off on legal complaints she did not believe in. The lawsuit became an oft-discussed subject during Lepine’s ill-fated campaign for city attorney this spring.
Lepine wasn’t available for comment, but her former campaign manager said a press release is forthcoming.
UPDATE: Lepine issued a press release of her own. The first sentence of the release confirms that she has settled her suit. The second says that she joins with the Democratic Party in endorsing Mike Aguirre for city attorney.
I called her and asked if she settled the lawsuit for political reasons. She said no.
“I just didn’t want to devote my energy in that direction anymore,” she said.
In her press statement, she says, “I am confident that the lawsuit brought about positive change in the City Attorney’s office, through the widespread public dialogue that ensued once I filed.”
I asked her what positive change had happened inside the City Attorney’s office, and she clammed up and said she didn’t want to elaborate further.
All in all, a goofy way to end the week.
July 15, 2008 - 12:28 am at 12:28 am
Wait a minute. Am I reading this right? She’s endorsing Aguirre, the guy she claims sexually harassed her? That proves that she was either full of shit all along, or full of shit now. Either way, she’s full of it.