LOS ANGELES _ A judge on Monday overturned Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva's controversial decision to reinstate a deputy who had been fired for violating department policies regarding domestic violence and lying _ a dispute that ended up pitting some of the county's most powerful elected officials against one another.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff ruled that Villanueva must remove the deputy, Caren Carl Mandoyan, from his job. Mandoyan also must return county property, including his gun and badge.
The ruling settles the narrow question of whether the sheriff had overstepped his legal authority in this case. But it also bolsters the view of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors that it has authority to weigh in on controversial county employment decisions.
The supervisors took the highly unusual step of suing the independently elected sheriff and his department in March, saying his rehiring of Mandoyan was unlawful because it stemmed from a legal settlement that was not signed by the county's attorneys and was not approved by the county's personnel director.
The dispute was a high-stakes gamble for Villanueva, who relies on supervisors to fund his department. The supervisors also risked looking powerless to stop the sheriff's controversial personnel actions. The power struggle has raised questions about whether the sheriff and the supervisors can work together on other issues.
Monday's ruling followed a delay after a hearing on Friday. That day, the judge declared in jest it was a "battle of the titans."
The ruling for now removes Mandoyan _ whom county officials have refused to pay, despite his reinstatement _ from any work as a deputy. The judge will still consider other terms of the broader lawsuit later.
In interviews before the ruling, Villanueva has said he's just reasserting the proper role of an elected sheriff and trying to treat deputies more fairly than his predecessor, Jim McDonnell. He also has said that he believes the supervisors don't have the power to control his department's personnel decisions.
Mandoyan had been assigned to a position that does not involve public patrol operations, Villanueva has said, but county officials said they had concerns about legal liability if Mandoyan acted in a law enforcement capacity while his credentials were disputed.
Mandoyan was terminated in 2016 after internal investigators found evidence, including a video, that he had tried to break into the apartment of another deputy with whom he had been in a romantic relationship. The woman had accused Mandoyan of placing his hands on her neck and sending her harassing text messages.
Investigators believed Mandoyan lied during the investigation, bringing his integrity as a law enforcement official into question. Mandoyan appealed his discharge to the county Civil Service Commission, which heard evidence in the case and reaffirmed his firing.
Mandoyan later volunteered to be Villanueva's driver during his campaign for sheriff and was frequently seen at Villanueva's side at election events.
At issue is whether Villanueva had the authority to reinstate Mandoyan, even as the appeals board upheld his termination.
Deputies who want to contest the Civil Service Commission typically must file a writ in court and wait for a judge to evaluate the commission's findings. Mandoyan avoided that process by striking a deal with the sheriff that returned him to duty.
