MEDIA

ADVISORY

Contact: Tony Manolatos amanolatos@gmail.com | 619.549.0137

In addition to explaining how the case won, Attorney Dwight Ritter will release video of the police officers deposition and an 8-page Oceanside Police Department Internal Affairs document that Ritter called The Truth Serum during the 4-week trial

Jury awards $1.5 million to woman sexually harassed by Oceanside police officer

What: News conference to discuss $1.5 million award a jury handed down Wednesday against the Oceanside Police Department/City of Oceanside in San Diego County Superior Court in Vista. When: TODAY (Friday, April 19) at 10AM Where: Ritter & Associates: 2550 Fifth Ave. 9th Floor (same building as Mr. As) Who: Attorneys Dwight Ritter and Karen Albence, who represented a female blood technician that a jury found was repeatedly and severely sexually harassed while under the supervision of Officer Gilbert Garcia. The victim performed contract work at the Oceanside Police Department between August 2008 and January 2010. Media Materials to be Provided: The verdict form; video clip of Officer Garcias deposition; and the results of a September 2009 Internal Affairs Investigation that found Garcia sexually harassed the victim at least 12 times over an 11-month period. Garcia was terminated in October 2009, a month after the Internal Affairs report was written. Despite the reports findings, the City of Oceanside fought the lawsuit, Ritter said. He also said during trial two police officers testified they overheard some of the abuse and were shocked by it. She stopped working as a blood tech and let her license lapse, Ritter said of his 51-year-old client. She used to love her job. She loved working with law enforcement. Now, shes afraid to. The abuse really affected her. It caused severe depression and anxiety that she continues to deal with. ###