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KPBS Midday Edition

Lawsuit accuses former San Diego County Sheriff's sergeant of sexual harassment

A San Diego County Sheriff Deputy's badge. San Diego County, Calif. April 18, 2022.
Alexander Nguyen
/
KPBS
A San Diego County Sheriff Deputy's badge. San Diego County, Calif. April 18, 2022.

Two former San Diego County Sheriff’s detectives are suing a former sergeant, alleging sexual harassment.

The complaint, filed late last month against now-retired Sgt. Shawn Silva also names San Diego County for failing to protect employees from the alleged harassment.

In the lawsuit, plaintiffs Deborah Stiesmeyer and Stacey Ralph say Silva created a toxic workplace in which they were the targets of constant sexist remarks.

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First Amended Complaint
Full complained alleged against former San Diego County Sheriff's Sergeant Shawn Silva and San Diego County
To view PDF files, download Acrobat Reader.

They also say no measures were taken to reprimand Silva for his actions and that the abuse lead them to leave the department.

Jenna Rangel, the attorney representing the plaintiffs and a partner with the San Diego law firm Haeggquist & Eck, joined Midday Edition on Thursday with more on the lawsuit.

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