The former San Diego Association of Governments finance director who filed a lawsuit in 2023 accusing the regional planning agency of firing her after she blew the whistle on inaccurate toll-booth revenue will be able to move forward with her claim.
Lauren Warrem was terminated from the agency known as SANDAG nearly two years ago, just days after raising questions about the accuracy of the billing data generated by the contractor that managed tolls along the South Bay Expressway.
She claimed in her lawsuit that she was wrongly fired due to retaliation.
The case was steered into arbitration under the direction of SANDAG, which then filed what’s called a motion for summary judgment or a request to dismiss the case ahead of any trial. The judge presiding over the case rejected the motion.
The legal dispute will now be waged in a private, trial-like proceeding that is scheduled to be held over seven days beginning late next month.
“We’re encouraged that the judge agreed this case deserves to move forward,” San Diego attorney Joshua Gruenberg said. “The denial of summary judgment confirms that Ms. Warrem’s concerns are serious and should be heard.”
According to Warrem, the toll-collection system did not accurately bill toll-road users. She said it regularly failed to read passes, slapped penalties on drivers who already paid and improperly reconciled tens of thousands of motorist accounts.
The allegations leveled by Warrem were subsequently confirmed by SANDAG officials and...
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