Deputy DA sues LA, claims retaliation after complaining about digital evidence storage – Daily News

A veteran prosecutor with the City Attorney’s Office is suing Los Angeles County, saying his career was “set back” after he complained that the office’s criminal division failed to comply with state and federal requirements for securely storing digital evidence.

Deputy City Attorney David Bozanich’s lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court alleges whistleblower retaliation. He seeks unspecified damages. A representative for the city attorney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit filed Thursday.

Bozanich was hired in 2002 and has been assigned to the criminal division ever since. The lawsuit said his career spanned 21 years, adding that he worked as a prosecutor and later played a key role in establishing a new unit in 2017 that established policies and practices for employees accessing, maintaining and using technology, including evidence from body-worn cameras used by police.

The lawsuit alleges that beginning in May 2021 and throughout the following year, Bozanich frequently informed his superiors verbally and via email that the criminal division was not complying with state and federal requirements to maintain digital information about offenders.

Bozanich believed the alleged irregularities constituted violations of the state Code of Regulations and the state Government Code, as well as other applicable federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations.

In July 2023, Bozanich was reassigned to a position in the Pacific office as a “line deputy” in alleged retaliation for speaking out, the lawsuit claims. He now works on individual cases but does not make policy recommendations, create or revise minutes or provide training to other attorneys or support staff, the lawsuit states.

“After two decades of steady advancement in the City Attorney’s Office… plaintiff’s career has regressed,” the lawsuit said, which also said his current assignment more closely resembles what he did during his first 10 years as deputy city attorney.

According to the lawsuit, for the rest of Bozanich’s career, being transferred to another position will create the impression that he was demoted because he did something wrong.

“In short, plaintiff’s career has been ruined and will never recover,” the lawsuit said, which also accused Bozanich of losing income and suffering mental anguish.

Originally published: August 10, 2024 at 4:45 PM