LOS ANGELES - A City Controller’s Office auditor has tentatively settled a lawsuit alleging her supervisor discouraged close scrutiny of Department of Water and Power contracts, including one tied to an FBI investigation, according to a report published March 25.
The settlement resolves the claims brought by auditor Beth Kennedy, whose attorney notified the court Feb. 26 of a “conditional” resolution and said a dismissal request is expected by Aug. 1. The terms were not disclosed. Kennedy’s case may be winding down, but the broader litigation is not over.
Kennedy’s former co-litigant, Soledad Gomez, is still headed to trial April 13 after Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Dean J. Kitchens denied the city’s motion to dismiss her whistleblower retaliation claim. Gomez alleges she was denied special investigator positions she applied for in early 2020 after reporting what she believed was unlawful activity she uncovered during a temporary appointment in the Controller’s Office in 2019, where she investigated hotline complaints involving alleged fraud, waste and abuse.
According to Kennedy’s lawsuit, a supervisor told her in 2019 that a recent DWP whistleblower had died on the job and described it as “basically murder.” Kennedy alleged the supervisor then warned her to be careful, not ask many questions and avoid “digging too deep” while auditing the contracts. She said she told him the information should be reported to the FBI, but he responded that it was not necessary.
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