San Mateo County Sheriff Corpus files legal claim for $10 million
San Mateo County's embattled sheriff has filed legal documents for a $10 million claim against county officials who are calling for her resignation.
On Friday, lawyers for Sheriff Christina Corpus filed the legal claim lodging her own accusations against the county.
The dispute began as a disagreement between the sheriff's office and the deputies union. The fight exploded into public view back in November with the release of an independent report that accused Corpus of workplace misconduct including allegations of abuse of power, the use of racial and homophobic slurs and an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
The same day that the report was released, Deputy Carlos Tapia, the president of the San Mateo County Deputy Sheriff's Association, was arrested by the sheriff's office for allegations of grand theft and obtaining money by false pretenses.
Last month, Tapia was cleared of all charges by the San Mateo County District Attorney, who said "there was no basis to believe any violation of law had occurred, and finally that Deputy Tapia should not have been arrested."
The sheriff's legal claim alleges that the report was biased and part of an "evil scheme" to force her out of office. It also alleges that Corpus has been targeted because she is the county's first Latina sheriff.
The claim reads in part, "This is a case about a county discriminating against, harassing and defaming a dedicated public servant because the defendants do not want either a woman or a Latinx person as the head of their sheriff's department."
CBS News Bay Area reached out to the county for their response.
"This claim, which is a required step before a party can file a lawsuit against the County, is without merit. If a lawsuit is filed in the future, the County will address the baseless allegations in court," a San Mateo County spokesperson said.
In March, the county will hold a special election to decide if the power to fire the sheriff.
