LAKEPORT — A judge Friday heard arguments from attorneys representing the parties in a lawsuit filed by a Lake County Sheriff”s Office (LCSO) sergeant who claims Sheriff Frank Rivero violated his rights during an internal investigation.
The civil claim hinges on the nature of the contact Rivero had with Sgt. Corey Paulich following a March incident in which a law enforcement pursuit ended with an LCSO vehicle hitting the suspect”s car.
Attorney Christopher Miller told Judge William McKinstry that a phone call, in-person discussion and email inquiry were examples of Rivero trying to “interrogate” Paulich in violation of his client”s peace officer rights in a potential discipline investigation.
Deputy County Counsel Lloyd Guintivano, representing the County of Lake and LCSO, said the communications were allowable under the statute as they were primarily routine interactions while Rivero collected information about the original incident. “He needed to be debriefed,” Guintivano said.
Miller argued that the three incidents of questioning directly led to Paulich receiving a notice of proposed discipline. Guintivano said any disciplinary investigation was independent from Rivero”s initial inquiries into the incident.
The lawsuit asks the court to set aside the investigation and any proposed discipline as well as award civil penalties of up to $25,000 per alleged violation, attorney fees and other court-related costs. The county asks the court to deny those requests.
McKinstry, an assigned visiting judge, took the matter under submission Friday morning but gave no specific timeline for when he”ll issue his decision, saying he would produce it “as soon as I can.”
