Former Marin prosecutor to settle discrimination suit

A former Marin County prosecutor who filed an $18 million discrimination lawsuit against the district attorney’s office has agreed to settle it for $50,000.

Cameron Jones will release the county from any liability arising from his employment, said Marin County Counsel Brian Washington. The county agreed to pay Jones $33,333 and his attorney $16,666, Washington said.

“The county is pleased to resolve this litigation and wishes Mr. Jones the best in his career endeavors,” he said.

Adam Cabral Bonner, a lawyer representing Jones, declined to comment on the settlement.

Marin County District Attorney Lori Frugoli, who was named as a defendant in the lawsuit, also declined to comment.

U.S. District Court Judge Jon Tigar, who received a notice that the case was settling, signed an order on June 24 to dismiss it.

“This order will be vacated if any party, after meeting and conferring with opposing parties, files a notice that settlement has not occurred within 75 days of the date of this order,” it says.

Jones was hired by the county in April 2021 and worked on the misdemeanor team until he was dismissed in June 2022, according to court documents.

Jones sued the county in 2022, alleging workplace discrimination because of his race and gender. Jones claimed his supervisor gave him a negative employee evaluation and that he was singled out after he shared his concerns about “structural issues, COVID-19 setbacks, and an unprecedented backlog of jury trials,” according to his civil complaint.

Jones suspected discrimination when he determined that his supervisors did not administer similar performance evaluations to his white, female coworkers, and he found that he was assigned more hearings than them.

“Defendants sought to quash Mr. Jones’ discovery of systematic discrimination and revelations to protect their own careers by terminating his employment,” the complaint said.

Along with Frugoli, other defendants included Shari Goldman, the misdemeanor team’s supervisor; Chief Deputy District Attorney Rosemary Slote; and Tom McCallister, another prosecutor.

The defendants denied the allegations and said Jones was lawfully released from his job after his probationary period ended.

Washington said Jones’ performance evaluation was made two weeks before he shared his concerns of disparate treatment. He also said that the plaintiff did not state the date of his complaint of racial and gender discrimination.

In February, Tigar dismissed 15 of the plaintiff’s 19 claims. He found that the claims against some of the defendants lacked a factual basis.

The surviving claims included allegations that Frugoli and Slote retaliated against him for exercising free speech, and of wrongful termination in violation of the 14th Amendment.

The county is still facing another racial discrimination lawsuit from an African American prosecutor who worked in the office for 27 years. Otis Bruce Jr., the former No. 2 prosecutor, filed a $12 million racial discrimination case last year.

Bruce alleged that Frugoli and two chief deputy district attorneys retaliated against him when he challenged the termination of Jones.

“In retaliation for raising the concerns, District Attorney Lori Frugoli, with the full weight and power of her office, set out on a scorched earth campaign to force Mr. Bruce into retirement and to ruin his stellar reputation,” the complaint stated.

He alleged that Frugoli denied him access to his office workspace, subjected him to a “meritless” investigation and removed him from his official duties.

Bruce resigned from his position last year and went to work for Alameda District Attorney Pamela Price. Bruce resigned recently, Price said.

“We had a great experience with him,” she said during a press conference about her staff reorganization.

Bruce’s lawsuit is scheduled for an Oct. 15 settlement conference in federal court. Bonner, who also represents Bruce, declined to comment.