A former senior field deputy to City Councilman Curren Price who alleges she was wrongfully fired in 2024 for being a whistleblower is seeking a deposition of the councilman.
On June 9, attorneys for Angie Reyes-English filed court papers with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge William Weinberger accusing the city of avoiding its obligation to provide the councilman for a deposition in the case.
“Defendant has repeatedly and obstinately refused to produce Council member Curren Price for deposition in this case, despite the fact that he is a key percipient witness who has personal factual information regarding plaintiff’s allegation of retaliation,” Reyes-English’s lawyers write in their pleadings.
Price is named in the city’s investigative report as one of three superiors that Reyes-English accused of the acts at issue and the city’s internal investigator identified Price as a witness, but failed to interview him, the plaintiff’s attorneys further contend. They say they’ve been thwarted by the city despite making “extraordinary efforts to obtain the deposition testimony” of Price.
Price is one of the superiors accused by the plaintiff of retaliation, so he should have personal knowledge of it, even if only to deny the accusation, Reyes-English’s attorneys further state in their court papers.
“That HR failed to interview him entirely makes it imperative for him to answer questions about the accusations,” according to Reyes-English’s lawyers’ pleadings.
According to her lawsuit, Reyes-English was considered a “snitch” who gave prosecutors information about the councilman and alleged pay-for-play schemes. But in their court papers, the City Attorney’s Office states that an internal investigation revealed that the plaintiff created a hostile work environment, culminating in her berating her direct supervisor, James Westbrooks.
“(The city) had legitimate grounds to terminate plaintiff … based on her own actions and conduct,” the City Attorney’s Office states.
Reyes-English was hired by the city in July 2013 as a senior field deputy, also known as a council aide, in Price’s council District 9. She had previously worked for Price for six years when he served in the state Assembly and state Senate.
Price is awaiting a scheduled Sept. 15 trial on five felony counts of embezzlement of government funds, three felony counts of perjury and four felony counts of conflict of interest. Prosecutors allege that Price, now 75, took part in pay-for-play schemes that benefited his wife’s company and were not listed on government financial disclosure forms.
Price and those closest to him, including Deputy Chief of Staff Jose Ugarte, believed Reyes-English had disclosed information to prosecutors or other government agencies, according to the suit, which further states that Ugarte told Reyes-English that District 9 employees were angry at her because they believed she had provided information to help prosecute Price.
“Plaintiff reasonably believed that this phone call was designed to intimidate and browbeat her,” according to the suit.
Reyes-English emailed her supervisors and human resources that she was being intimidated by those persons who believed she was the “snitch” who helped prosecutors with their case against the councilman, the suit filed in August 2024 states.
But in July 2023, Reyes-English was placed on an involuntary medical leave until Oct. 18 of that year, the suit states. When she returned, she allegedly was subjected to more harassment that harmed her reputation, according to the suit, which further alleges that Westbrooks told others to keep an eye on her.
Reyes-English, who believed the alleged harassment of her violated the state Labor Code, was terminated on Jan. 9, 2024, leaving a “permanent black stain on her previously untarnished work record,” the suit states.
But according to the city’s court papers, not a single relevant decision-maker held the belief that Reyes-English was a whistleblower in any regard or that the plaintiff might blow the whistle on Price.