MADERA COUNTY – Madera County District Attorney David Linn says he was “shocked and saddened” by the County’s accusations of workplace misconduct.
Linn says the County issued a press release immediately after he left a brief meeting with the Board of Supervisors this morning.
“I had been told for over a month that I was not a subject for investigation or action,” Linn says. “The Chief Administrative Officer of the County, Eric Fleming, told me that the investigation and meeting was about the conduct of one disgruntled employee, who had previously made claims against the District Attorneys of Tuolumne and Stanislaus Counties.”
The Board scheduled a special meeting on Monday, Nov. 27, to address the accusations, which Linn says conflicts with his plans to be out of town.
“The Board’s scheduling of a meeting this morning, and a special meeting on November 27; both fall within a period I had planned on being out of state for the Thanksgiving holiday. I do not believe this is an innocent coincidence.”
Linn categorically denies the “vague allegations brought forth by the Board of Supervisors. We have had virtually no turnover during my administration, and in fact, the majority of the Madera County Deputy District Attorneys have endorsed me for re-election.”
In a resolution today, the Board stated that it is “profoundly disappointed by, and disapproving of, the conduct of District Attorney David A. Linn. Accounts of Mr. Linn’s workplace misconduct have been verified by multiple witnesses during the course of a thorough, independent professional investigation.”
They assert that Mr. Linn’s conduct includes “regularly making offensive, degrading, and/or sexually suggestive comments to or about women, including crime victims. Multiple documented sources give accounts of frequent outbursts of anger and inappropriate behavior with his staff members, including threatening remarks and offensive comments about their physical appearance, race or gender.”
They also accuse him of regularly using vulgar and offensive slang terms in reference to racial minorities and women.
According to Adrienne Calip, Deputy County Administrative Officer Human Resources/Operations Director, an investigation into the allegations has be ongoing since last last summer.
In a letter addressed to Calip’s office from the Fresno law firm of Liebert, Cassidy and Whitmore, dated Nov. 20, 2017, Kimberly Horiuchi states that the firm has been investigating allegations raised by Senior Deputy District Attorney John Baker regarding Linn’s inappropriate workplace conduct at the District Attorney’s Office.
“I was retained by the County as a neutral, independent investigator to conduct an investigation into Baker’s allegations,” the letter states.
The investigation has concluded as follows and has sustained the following allegations:
1. DA Linn made repeated sexist or sexually explicit comments to and about employees and female crime victims.
2. DA Linn made repeated racist or racially insensitive comments in the workplace.
3. DA Linn engaged in abusive or threatening conduct in the workplace.
Linn says that all these allegations are a reaction to his efforts to fight corruption and are politically motivated.
“The Board of Supervisors is aware of the fact that I am attempting to clean up Madera County and I am preparing to prosecute corruption charges against two of the members of the Board,” says Linn. “Their action this morning is the Board’s reaction. I also believe these actions are political retaliation, from the Board and Administration, to my well-known policy against government corruption in Madera County. “
Linn has scheduled a press conference at the Madera County District Attorney’s Office immediately following the Board of Supervisors’ 9 a.m. special meeting on Monday, Nov. 27. At the meeting, the Board will consider whether to publicly censure D.A. Linn.
For the Resolution put out by the Board today, click below.
