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Tracy Miller speaks at a press conference outside lawyer John Barnett\u2019s home in Laguna Beach on Friday, June 6, 2025. Credit: MAXIMO SANTANA, Voice of OC<\/p>\nA second female prosecutor won a multimillion dollar judgement today, after a jury found she faced retaliation from Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer and other top prosecutors when she reported sexual harassment within his own office.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s on top of two other women who worked at the DA\u2019s office who settled pending lawsuits last year with the county for a total of $1.3 million across both cases \u2013 alleging Spitzer retaliated against them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And there\u2019s another four similar workplace harassment lawsuits still making their way through the legal system and expected to play out publicly this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The most recent jury case is triggering all sorts of hard questions for Spitzer, who in turn is pointing fingers at the county\u2019s top lawyer for missteps.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What\u2019s Next?<\/p>\n
Attorneys\u2019 representing OC DA Prosecutor Bethel Cope-Vega, who a jury awarded $3.5 million to on Tuesday, are calling out the board of supervisors for failing to protect women working in Spitzer\u2019s office.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She\u2019s the second prosecutor to publicly send that message, following in the footsteps of former prosecutor Tracy Miller, who was awarded $3 million last June when jurors found she faced retaliation from Spitzer for helping other women report harassment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tracy Miller speaks at a press conference outside lawyer John Barnett\u2019s home in Laguna Beach on Friday, June 6, 2025. Credit: MAXIMO SANTANA, Voice of OC<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Board\u2019s inaction has sent a clear message to Plaintiff, to countless other County employees, and to all citizens of the Orange County that harassment, discrimination, and retaliation when engaged in by politically well-connected men will be tolerated by the current members of the Board of Supervisors,\u201d wrote lawyers<\/a> representing Cope-Vega in their lawsuit.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cQuite simply, the Board should have done more and should do more. It\u2019s apparent they won\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n In a statement from his spokesperson, Spitzer claims the fault for the lawsuit rests solely at the feet of county counsel, saying his office \u201chas always supported the victims of sexual harassment and their right to sue and receive compensation for their damages.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n District attorney spokesperson Kimberly characterized the verdict as \u201cabout the harassment engaged in by a former Senior Assistant Deputy District Attorney; it is also a condemnation of the actions of County Counsel.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHe hired an outside investigator who threatened our employees with termination if they did not participate in the investigation and promised them confidentiality. Then County Counsel went on to publicly humiliate and victim-shame these women by deeming the confidential report a public document, failing to adequately protect their identities in that public document and then releasing it to the media,\u201d Edds wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe are not in any way surprised by this verdict or the dollar amount since County Counsel broke its promises to these women and betrayed their trust.\u201d<\/p>\n Lawyers representing Cope-Vega also criticized the county\u2019s decision to release an unredacted report in 2021 documenting all of the complaints against LoGalbo \u2013 a decision Spitzer says was made by county counsel Leon Page, not him.\u00a0<\/p>\n County Counsel Leon Page declined to comment on the suit.\u00a0<\/p>\n Yet in her lawsuit, Cope-Vega clearly identified Spitzer and his lieutenants as the drivers behind retaliation toward her.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAfter allegations began being made against Mr. LoGalbo by women in the OCDA, Mr. Spitzer and some other men in management were quick to dismiss Plaintiff and other victims,\u201d Cope-Vega\u2019s lawyers wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Spitzer, himself, accused Mr. LoGalbo\u2019s victims of being \u201cdishonest\u201d and tried to have one of them written-up,\u201d they continued in court filings. \u201cHe chastised and was dismissive of other employees for their role in the investigation, telling them, \u2018You take your little notes about me that end up in reports.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n That exact quote about \u201clittle notes\u201d in reports is also found in a previous judgement against the county over Spitzer\u2019s conduct involving Miller, who also won an additional $1.54 million in attorneys fees in December.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe people deserve better than the Orange County Board of Supervisors spending millions and millions and millions of taxpayer dollars defending this corrupt DA,\u201d Miller said at a press conference after her case. \u201cCounty leaders should hold him accountable.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n [Read: OC Supervisors Don\u2019t Answer Calls For Action Against DA For Harassment of Female Prosecutors<\/a>]<\/p>\n Cope-Vega, the latest prosecutor to win in court against the county, was named California District Attorneys\u2019 Association Prosecutor of the Year in 2025, according to Spitzer\u2019s own X account<\/a>, where he praised her work in a March 2025 post.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAs the County\u2019s only child abuse prosecutor, Cope-Vega has proven to be a fearless advocate for children, protecting them with compassion and vigorously prosecuting those who harm them,\u201d Spitzer wrote. \u201cHer work in the courtroom has rescued countless children from their abusers.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n A History of Harassment Reports<\/p>\n Cope-Vega was one of eight women who reported harassment from Gary LoGalbo, one of Spitzer\u2019s top lieutenants and the best man at his wedding before he earned the nickname of \u201cScary Gary\u201d at the office.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMr. LoGalbo told Plaintiff that he dreamt of her and that she was naked in his dreams,\u201d wrote Cope-Vega\u2019s lawyers in her lawsuit.\u201d Almost every time Plaintiff\u2019s office door was shut, Mr. LoGalbo would bust in, telling Plaintiff he hoped to catch her undressing and Mr. LoGalbo called Plaintiff late at night, to ask her what she was wearing and where she was in her house.\u201d<\/p>\n An ensuing county HR investigation backed up the women when they reported LoGalbo, but multiple lawsuits allege Spitzer and his other lieutenants retaliated against the women who reported LoGalbo.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAs for Mr. Spitzer, he has accused Mr. LoGalbo\u2019s victims of being \u2018dishonest\u2019. He also chastised the employees who confirmed Mr. LoGalbo\u2019s unlawful conduct,\u201d Cope-Vega\u2019s lawyers wrote. \u201cEmployees who have spoken out against Mr. LoGalbo\u2019s victims are now being treated more favorably by Mr. Spitzer and are being awarded for shaming innocent victims of sexual harassment.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n While Spitzer was not directly named as a defendant in Cope Vega\u2019s case, jurors found the county failed to protect women in his office, noting in their decision<\/a> the county failed to \u201ctake reasonable steps to prevent and correct workplace harassment.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n County leaders have spoken with Spitzer\u2019s accusers behind closed doors<\/a> about settling their cases and have taken away his HR department to let the county CEO\u2019s office run it, but there hasn\u2019t been much public discussion on Spitzer\u2019s conduct.\u00a0<\/p>\n