After two years of litigation, a combined $5.5 million will go to three former Palmdale city employees who settled a lawsuit that alleged 'whistleblower retaliation' for speaking out against a top-ranking city employee who brought a gun to work during a closed-session city council meeting.
One of the whistleblowers, Patricia Nevarez, told KNX News' Nataly Tavidian that the harassment, intimidation, and retaliation she experienced as a result is something no one should go through, but she's proud to have done the right thing.
According to the group's attorney, Brad Gage, "The city even went so far as to not give full paychecks to my clients at Christmas time. It's pretty callous."
Nevarez who was the HR manager with nearly 30 years on the job, said, "This experience has taught me firsthand that it takes tremendous courage and determination to do what's right, especially when your career is at stake, but when faced with these injustices myself, I knew I had to take a stand."
In a written statement, the city of Palmdale said the compromise is fair based on the facts, and this marks a significant turning point for the city, allowing them to leave the long-standing cases in the past and direct their attention to the future.
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