California Judge Orders County to Pay $1.4M in Lawyers’ Fees

A judge in central California has ordered Stanislaus County to pay nearly $1.4 million in fees to attorneys of a deputy who sued the Sherriff’s Department for discrimination.

The Modesto Bee reports an attorney for the county, John Doering, says he will discuss filing an appeal with county supervisors next week.

Dennis Wallace in 2012 sued the Sheriff’s Department for idling him for two years without pay, saying he was too injured to work while he said he wasn’t.

The 52-year-old Wallace was killed in 2016 by a suspect who shot him as he checked on a report of a suspicious van.

His lawsuit was resolved last year when the county agreed to pay his widow $253,000 in a settlement without admitting wrongdoing.