Violent crime surges in Los Angeles under DA George Gascon
Fox News contributor Leo Terrell joined 'Fox & Friends' to discuss the recent surge and how Gascon is backing the release of convicted criminals under Prop 57.
A Los Angeles County jury awarded $1.5 million to a prosecutor as part of a retaliation lawsuit against District Attorney George Gascon, who faces similar complaints in a series of legal actions.
Shawn Randolph sued Gascon, claiming she was transferred from supervising the DA's juvenile division, and effectively demoted, for speaking out against his policies, which have come under heavy scrutiny from his own prosecutors and elected officials. Randolph previously raised concerns that Gascon's criminal justice reforms could be harmful or unethical.
She was eventually transferred to the parole division.
Her main objection stemmed from policies to reduce charges against underage offenders, even those accused of committing violent crimes, to limit strikes against children.
Gascon faces a dozen similar lawsuits from deputy district attorneys who say they were demoted for publicly raising concerns about his directives.
"George Gascón said he didn’t need any experience being a prosecutor because the DA is only a manager," John Hatami said of his boss Monday. "Well George, you are a horrible DA and an even worse manager. You have cost the taxpayers millions of dollars with 17 total lawsuits against you."
"You called DDA’s ‘internal terrorists,’ ‘unfit,’ ‘delusional,’ and ‘hyper partisan,’" he added.
He accused Gascon of creating a hostile work environment and forcing prosecutors to "commit unethical and illegal actions in court" despite his policies having "excluded public safety and victims’ rights for political gain."
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Gascon's office said they were "disappointed by the jury's verdict, and stand by our decision to reassign this and other attorneys to new positions within the office."
"As any manager will tell you, moving around personnel in order to improve the level of representation this community receives is absolutely critical to a functioning office," the statement said. "We will consider our options over the next several days."
After the verdict, Twitter head Elon Musk asked: "Wasn’t Gascon the bad guy in Beauty & the Beast?"
John Lewin, who worked in the DA's Major Crimes Division before being transferred to a lower level position, called Randolph a "hero" in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"When George Gascon tried to implement policies that are not only illegal, but which have resulted in the deaths and victimization of an untold number of innocent citizens, Shawn risked her career and her reputation to do what was right," Lewin said. "George Gascon is derelict in his responsibility as District Attorney, and is a scourge to the community at large. This is the beginning of the end for him! His horrible reign of terror will not last past the next election!!"
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon lost a retaliation lawsuit Monday when a jury awarded one of his prosecutors a $1.5 million judgment. (ason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
During the trial, Gascon testified that there were 14 deputy district attorneys moved as part of a series of personnel changes.
"She's just mad," attorney Justin Sanders, who represented Gascon and Los Angeles County, said, KNBC-TV reported in February. "She wanted Long Beach or Torrance and instead she got parole."
