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Devallis Rutledge

Devallis Rutledge, a former police officer and veteran prosecutor, is Special Counsel to the Los Angeles County District Attorney. His latest book is “Criminal Investigations and Evidence.”

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To sue or not to sue

A local resident in the town I work for believes that I am harassing her and her family which is completely untrue. She had filed a tort claim against me which was promptly dismissed, and recently her stepson, age 21, committed suicide (after years of mental health issues) while I was away on training over 1,000 miles away, and she now blames me personally and has written a letter to me telling me so.

My Chief thinks I would have a great case, but I took this job knowing there would people who would not like us. This all started after arresting her brother age 40 for 37 full grown marijuana plants in his house.

I now get threats from her and her family verbal abuse and her spreading lies and rumors about me. I can’t sleep, eat or seem to function lately.

Any Ideas, thoughts suggestion ?

Submitted by: jskaiser @ Wednesday, September 19, 2007 4:05 AM

This is an intolerable situation, and one that you shouldn't have to put up with.  I recommend that you discuss the matter in detail with your boss, and also consult with an attorney.  It may be necessary to get a restraining order, depending on the situation. 

As far as the viability of a lawsuit, that info would have to come from your attorney, but I would think that, should you decide to move ahead in that arena, the fact that you formally applied for a restraining order would go far to support your case that you gave her ample warning to back off.  In any case, it's a volatile and potentially dangerous situation.  Good luck, and watch your "six."

Answer by: Steve Ashley @ Monday, October 01, 2007 3:35 PM

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