Two Los Angeles County deputy district attorneys sued L.A. District Attorney Nathan Hochman for harassment, discrimination and retaliation for his office’s handling of the Menendez brothers’ murder case.
Nancy Theberge and Brock Lunsford recommended a resentencing trial for the convicted murderers while working under the purview of former DA George Gascón that Hochman, who assumed the office in December, disagreed with. The lawyers claimed in February that they were wrongfully demoted by the new DA, saying the move came in retaliation of their support to resentence Lyle and Erik Menendez last fall.
The two attorneys each filed a lawsuit against Hochman Monday, seeking economic damages and non-economic psychological damages.
“Nancy and Brock followed the law and paid for it with their careers. Their resentencing motion was grounded in fact, supported by the law and filed with integrity,” Justin Shegerian, attorney for Theberge and Lunsford, said. “They are moving forward with this suit, at great personal risk, because they hope to protect others from a dangerous District Attorney’s office that believes it’s above the law.”
In the lawsuit obtained and reviewed by TheWrap, Theberge and Lunsford detailed retaliation they experienced following Hochman’s election, including being demoted to junior positions.
Theberge alleged she was discriminated against for her age and gender. Lunsford alleged that he was publicly defamed and called “incompetent” and “quilsing,” meaning a Nazi collaborator, by a superior.
Before Hochman was elected, the two prosecutors supported former D.A. Gascón’s decision to resentence the brothers. Both prosecutors were then demoted. Theberge, who was in charge of L.A. County’s resentencing unit, was transferred out of the D.A.’s office, and Lunsford, who reported to Theberge at the time, was demoted to a low-level non-supervisory position in a remote branch office.
Theberge and Lunsford are seeking $5.25 million each in damages, according to the filings. The prosecutors claim their careers and reputations have been affected by their department transfers.
