City officials named in whistle blower lawsuit deny wrongdoing
El Centro Attorney Ryan Childers rejects allegations made against his Westmorland clients who are named in a so-called whistle blower lawsuit.
“For the first time, given the fact these lawsuits have been filed, I think it’s appropriate for the city to respond to some of the allegations against them,” Childers said.
He represents City Council Member Henry Graham and Police Chief Perry Monita.
“In reading through the facts that have been alleged here, the facts over and over again, are demonstrably, provably false. And we can prove many of these allegations to be false with documents, emails, and or other sources,” Childers said.
He said former Westmorland Police Officer Maximus Barabino was terminated for not being qualified, not out of retaliation. Barabino is one of two officers making the complaint.
“That they were retaliated against because they uncovered wrongdoing on behalf of police department officials and the city wanted to cover it up. When the truth is that upon learning these allegations, the city contacted the Sheriff’s department, the FBI,” Childers said. He added the investigation is ongoing by the Department of Homeland Security.
“So, no one had any intention of covering anything up, and therefore, we had no reason to retaliate against anyone for speaking out about it. We will be filing responsive pleadings which attack the complaint and the veracity of the allegations contained therein,” Childers said.
