Federal judge dismisses ex-Sheriff Villanueva's defamation lawsuit

A lawsuit filed by former Sheriff Alex Villanueva against Los Angeles County has been dismissed by a federal judge.

The former sheriff had accused the county of smearing his name professionally by placing him on a “do not rehire” list. He was placed on the list after a county oversight panel found Villanueva had harassed and discriminated against two county employees while he was in office from 2018 to 2022.

U.S. District Judge Stephen Wilson dismissed the suit “with prejudice,” meaning it can't be brought back to the court.

The background

Villanueva was elected sheriff in 2018. He ran again in 2022, but lost to current Sheriff Robert Luna.

He was placed on the “do not rehire” list after the county oversight panel examined two cases of harassment or discrimination. In one, the panel said, he accused the county’s inspector general of being a Holocaust denier. In the other, he harassed a woman of color who was employed by a county supervisor, according to the panel.

The lawsuit

In May, Villanueva filed documents with the county signaling his intent to sue for $25 million. His lawsuit was filed in federal court in June.

In a letter sent to the Board of Supervisors, he claimed his career was “dealt a lethal blow” when county officials allegedly held secret, closed session meetings last fall without notifying him or allowing him to defend himself against the allegations.

Villanueava said in the letter that his reputation was damaged as a result of those meetings, and that he was blocked from ever being rehired by L.A. County again. He said he filed public records requests seeking information about the proceedings, but the responses were either untimely or incomplete.

The ruling

In documents requesting that the lawsuit be dismissed, the county argued that Villanueva and his attorneys had not pleaded their case properly and that he “vaguely” complained that his career with the county ended because he was placed on the “do not rehire” list.

The county argued in the documents that "the County did not end [Villanueva’s] career as Sheriff — the voters did.”

The county also argued that Villanueva failed to plead in court documents that he had been defamed.