Multiple Orange County Jail inmates filed a class action lawsuit in Orange County Superior Court Thursday, alleging a chef at the James A. Musick jail in Irvine sexually abused them.
So far, the plaintiffs include Cristina Gonzales, Miriam Lopez, Nazaneen Ebrahimi, Illeanna Ramos and Nicole Jackson, who allege that chef Salvador Gonzalez sexually assaulted and harassed them. The lawsuit filed by the Prisoners Rights Union aims for class action status.
The lawsuit alleges the women, who worked in the kitchen while in custody, “reported the misconduct through grievances and complaints,” but sheriff’s officials “failed to investigate adequately, discipline the employee or protect incarcerated women from ongoing abuse.”
The abuse occurred in December and January, the women’s attorney, Dick Herman, said.
“They knew about it and didn’t do anything about it,” Herman said. “It’s unthinkable in 2025 that such a thing should happen in the jail.”
Salvador Gonzalez has been placed on administrative leave and a criminal investigation is underway, according to Orange County sheriff’s Sgt. Lizbeth Gwisdalla, a department spokeswoman.