After hearing a final report from the Office of Corrections and Law Enforcement Monitoring about a 2019 in-custody incident, the County Board of Supervisors approved a proposal from Supervisor Simitian that requires County Counsel to report quarterly on the settlement of tort lawsuits of $1 million or more filed against the County. Tort lawsuits are those in which an individual alleges that they have been harmed by the County and are seeking civil or financial redress. Simitian’s proposal increases transparency surrounding the use of taxpayer money for settlements.
Under existing law, all discussions surrounding lawsuits filed against the County and potential settlements typically occur in closed session, meaning they are not ordinarily open to public discussion and scrutiny.
County Counsel now publicly reports to the Board on any tort lawsuits which the County settles at equal to or greater than $1 million.
