Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon is facing another lawsuit from his own prosecutors’ union, accusing him of withholding critical information about a senior aide facing felony charges.
The lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal battles between Gascon and the Association of Deputy District Attorneys (ADDA), which represents hundreds of prosecutors in his office, according to a press release. The ADDA claims that Gascon violated the California Public Records Act (CPRA) by failing to release records related to Diana Teran.
Teran, indicted on felony charges in April, misused confidential files from her previous employment with the Los Angeles Sheriff‘s Department, the office of Democrat California Attorney General Rob Bonta alleged, according to NBC 4. She was then a part of Gascon’s leadership team, the outlet reported.
Prosecutors sought any records or emails detailing her employment status and whether county taxpayers were footing the bill for her legal defense, but Gascon’s office provided incomplete responses, according to the lawsuit. (RELATED: Prosecutor Sues Soros DA, Alleges He Was Punished For ‘Misgendering’ Child Predator)
“The California Public Records Act clearly mandates that public agencies must promptly provide access to public records without unnecessary delays. Yet, George Gascon has consistently violated the law by unlawfully delaying and obstructing the process,” ADDA Vice President Ryan Erlich said, the press release reads.
The Double Standard: George Gascón and the Case of Diana Teran! Please read: https://t.co/jAL8SeGMxS pic.twitter.com/UT44rgOyV6
— LAADDA (@LACountyADDA) August 21, 2024
Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, told Fox News Digital the ADDA had the right to access the information. “These are public records, and the union and other members of the public have a right to this information,” Rahmani reportedly said. “Of course, Teran is a high-ranking deputy DA and a close ally of Gascon, who is facing a tough challenger in November, and the union has sued Gascon before during his tumultuous first term.”
Gascon, often criticized for his apparent lenient approach to crime, has been the subject of an ADDA lawsuit before, the press release notes. The ADDA’s current lawsuit aims to compel Gascon’s office to release the records in question, to declare the alleged actions of his office to be against the law and cover any attorney fees incurred by the union in the matter.