Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Closed Session Settlements topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Orange County supervisors disclose multiple settlements, approve proposed $9 million payout in Doe v. Harvey
Summary
In a closed session the Board approved a proposed $9 million settlement for six claimants in Doe v. Harvey and finalized or delegated authority for several other settlements; officials said the agreements remain subject to final approvals.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors disclosed the outcomes of a closed session that included approval or delegation of several settlements and litigation directions. County counsel read the public report of actions taken in closed session and said copies of finalized agreements will be available through CEO risk management.
The Board approved a proposed $9,000,000 settlement in Doe v. Harvey involving six individual claimants, with each plaintiff to receive about $1,500,000, County counsel said. The transcript records the vote on that item as 4–1, with Chairman Chaffee recorded as the lone no vote. County counsel said, “The settlement approved today remains subject to the final approval of others.”
The board also unanimously approved a $150,000 settlement in Novares v. Flores, a personal-injury claim alleging negligence by an Orange County sheriff’s deputy during a collision with a bicyclist, the counsel reported. County counsel said the agreement is ‘‘subject to the final approval of others’’ and, when finalized, copies will be made available through CEO risk management.
In a workers’ compensation matter, the Board unanimously approved a $325,000 settlement in Daravala v. County of Orange. County counsel said the claim involved a now-deceased former Orange County Sheriff’s Department sergeant who suffered malignant colorectal cancer and that the settlement remains subject to final approvals.
The Board reviewed multiple prelitigation claims arising from a Sept. 20, 2024 airport fire. For various claimant groups the Board unanimously rejected the latest demands and delegated limited settlement authority to risk management; for another set of claimants the Board accepted a proposal to settle combined Hoey/James/Sapienza claims for a combined $2,400,000 and delegated CEO risk-management authority to complete related settlements.
On Ace Kelly v. County of Orange, County counsel said the Board unanimously rejected the plaintiff’s demand and directed risk management and outside counsel to proceed to trial. The matter, the counsel reported, arises from an Oct. 19, 2020 probation search tied to a sheriff’s surveillance operation; deputies found methamphetamine and the transcript records that the legality of the search is not contested by the plaintiff.
County counsel concluded, “The board took no other reportable action in closed session today,” and said finalized settlement agreements will be available through CEO risk management to any person who inquires. The Board adjourned after public comment.
What happens next: County counsel said the approved agreements remain subject to other approvals; the public may request copies through CEO risk management once those approvals are complete.
