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River Valley Times

CSD General Manager Initiates Preliminary Step Toward Lawsuit

Jan 15, 2025 10:13AM ● By Gail Bullen River Valley Times Reporter

Rancho Murieta Community Services District General Manager Mimi reads a prepared statement at a Jan. 6 special board meeting, expressing that she is being discriminated against. Photo by Gail Bullen

RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - Mimi Morris, the Rancho Murieta Community Services District general manager, has taken the initial step toward filing a lawsuit against the district.

An attorney representing Morris served a “government claim” following a Jan. 6 board meeting in which she publicly revealed for the first time the ongoing rift between she and board President Stephen Booth.

Under California law, employees must file a government claim before pursuing a lawsuit against a governmental entity. This process ensures the entity is informed of potential claims and has an opportunity to address or resolve them before litigation.

During the Jan. 6 meeting, Morris read a statement accusing board President Stephen Booth of ongoing retaliation, discrimination and harassment.

In response to the allegations, Booth, who was told by district counsel Patrick Enright not to attend the Jan. 6 meeting, told The River Valley Times, “I categorically deny that there has been any discrimination against her for any reason.”

After several unofficial reports surfaced that Morris had been placed on paid administrative leave, The River Valley Times asked district counsel Patrick Enright about her status.

“In response to your questions, the Board of Directors placed Ms. Morris on paid administrative leave pending an investigation on Jan. 6, 2025,” Enright emailed The River Valley Times on Jan. 14. “Her attorney filed a Government Claim with the District that is being reviewed by the District’s Risk Management Authority (Golden State Risk Management Authority).” 

Enright said he couldn’t comment further because it was a personnel matter.

Lawrence J. Lenneman of Rolling Hills Estates in Los Angeles County represents Morris. He and another attorney represented two other Community Services District employees in prior employment-related disputes. Rick Tompkins, a former patrol sergeant, and Paula O’Keefe, a former director of administrative services, settled their lawsuits before trial.

In the claim served on the district on Jan. 8, Morris seeks compensatory and other damages exceeding $10,000, the minimum required for a case to be heard in Sacramento County Superior Court.

A three-page narrative about the claim concluded: “As a result of the Claimant’s rapidly deteriorating and increasingly intolerable working conditions, it appears that RMCSD is actively attempting to constructively terminate the Claimant.”

The claim also states that a separate claim has been filed with the California Civil Rights Department, formerly the Department of Fair Employment and Housing.

The Jan. 6 special board meeting mainly consisted of a closed session considering three topics: an evaluation of the general manager, discipline or release, and anticipated litigation.

Before the board entered the closed session, Morris read a prepared statement detailing her concerns about board President Booth. For additional information, refer to the story published online at The River Valley Times on Jan. 9, “Serious Rift Surfacesat CSD Board Meeting”

Her government complaint includes the same allegations but in more detail.

The River Valley Times interviewed Booth after the Jan. 6 board meeting, which Enright had told him not to attend. He responded forcefully to the contentions in the general manager’s written statement.

“I categorically deny there has been any discrimination against her for any reason, Booth said.

Because the rift between Morris and Booth has become a personnel matter, Booth and other board members cannot comment on her claim. Similarly, the board was prohibited from commenting after Tompkins and O’Keefe filed their government claims and subsequent lawsuits.

As district counsel Enright said in his email, “The District has an obligation to protect an employee’s confidential information.”

In its earlier coverage of the Jan. 6 meeting, The River Valley Times reported nothing happened. This was because, after the board returned to the open session, Enright announced that the board had discussed the three agenda items “and we have no reportable action.”

After learning that Morris had been placed on paid administrative leave, The River Valley Times asked Enright who made the decision and when it occurred. He wrote that the board placed Morris on leave on Jan. 6. However, the government complaint indicates the action happened on Jan. 7.

Although Enright stated he couldn’t comment further because it was a personnel matter, The River Valley Times questioned why Morris’ administrative leave had not been publicly announced, as it appeared to constitute an “action.” Enright did not respond to the Jan. 14 inquiry.

However, Enright addressed the matter publicly the following day at the Rancho Murieta Community Services District board meeting on Jan. 15. Enright said he wanted to make a brief announcement about the Jan. 6 closed session of a special board meeting.

“The Board of Directors voted four to nothing to place the general manager on paid administrative leave,” Enright said. “President Booth was absent from the special meeting and did not participate in the closed session.”