Ex-Jail Captain Sues Santa Clara Co. Sheriff’s Office for Alleged Discrimination, Harassment

A Santa Clara County jail captain escorted off the job amid claims that she lied to a superior is now suing her former employer for racism, ageism and gender discrimination.

In a lawsuit filed Nov. 13 in Santa Clara County Superior Court, Amy Le says the Sheriff’s Office effectively forced her to resign in retaliation for alerting higher-ups about a female lieutenant’s sexual harassment complaint against a high-ranking officer. Le, a 30-year agency veteran, asks for “no less than” $5 million to make up for lost wages and benefits and emotional distress.

A sheriff’s spokesman referred a request for comment to the county’s legal staff. County Counsel James Williams said he hadn’t seen the complaint until San Jose Inside alerted him to it. “We have no comment at this time,” he added.

Le made the news in early June when she was tearfully forced out of Elmwood Correctional Facility. The exit came as a shock to Le, who tirelessly campaigned for Sheriff Laurie Smith’s election to a sixth term and was promoted to captain a month after the 2018 general election.

Sheriff’s officials explained Le’s ouster as having something to do with her lying about how she raised money for an inmate-built gazebo, BBQ and Zen garden rest area. Le denied having misled anyone and opted to take an early retirement just so she could tell her side of the story. She went to the press a few months ago to defend her reputation, but the lawsuit obtained this week by San Jose Inside offers some previously undisclosed details about Assistant Sheriff Eric Taylor.

In her lawsuit, Le says her problems with Taylor began right after her promotion when he canceled a vacation she had planned months earlier. Le says her supervisor generally “acted in a hostile manner” toward her based on her age, nationality and gender and that he told her peers that she was “unethical” and tried to undermine her authority. On Feb. 24, Le says she told Undersheriff Rick Sung and Capt. Michael Doty that she’d like to file a complaint against Taylor for setting her up to fail.

“From the first day I was promoted, A.S. Taylor treated me differently, belittled me and held me to standards that he did not require of other captains,” Le’s lawsuit states.

Le says Sung talked her out of filing a formal complaint. After that, a few months went by before the gazebo incident made headlines.

According to Le, she wanted to build the gazebo to “express her gratitude for the many opportunities made available to her throughout the years at the Sheriff’s Office.” She envisioned a “peaceful and relaxing” break area for officers and staff and thought the project would give female inmates a chance to learn new skills.

To that end, she oversaw the construction of the “Elmwood Gratitude Garden,” a 23-by-12-foot alcove with a grill, an arbor and benches. Money for the project came from donations from Le’s husband, the Santa Clara County Correctional Peace Officers’ Association—for which she served as president in the few years before her promotion—and from her own pocket.

Construction wrapped up in time to celebrate National Correctional Officers Week, says Le, who planned to invite Assemblyman Evan Low and Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez to the site on May 6 to recognize jail staff for their work. Smith, Sung and Taylor put the kibosh on the ribbon-cutting, however. On May 17, they had Capt. Timothy Davis red tag the garden. “Notably,” per Le’s lawsuit, “Davis had previously built arbors at the Elmwood Correctional Facility that were similar to the Elmwood Gratitude Garden, and there had been no issue with them.”

On May 28, Le says she reported to Doty the sexual harassment claim made by a female lieutenant against Taylor. Two days later, Doty reportedly told Le to have the complainant meet with him directly. And a day after that, Le was hand-delivered a letter informing her that she was being placed on administrative leave for making “false statements to a superior officer when questioned about soliciting donations” for the gazebo project from “county employees and outside agency contractors.”

“Le was escorted out of the workplace while crying about the false allegations made by the county against her to sully her previously immaculate reputation,” the lawsuit reads.

Internal Affairs ordered her to meet on June 12 for an investigative meeting. When Le’s request for more time was denied, the lawsuit says she “involuntarily resigned” to avoid going through a process that “she firmly expected would result in the county terminating her employment based on the false allegations leveled against her.”

Jennifer Wadsworth is the former news editor for San Jose Inside and Metro Silicon Valley. Follow her on Twitter at @jennwadsworth.

6 Comments

  1. Frog walked? Gee, that is terrible. Too bad. Rich Robinson who looks like a frog never was investigated for permits for sale.

  2. > Le, a 30-year agency veteran, asks for “no less than” $5 million to make up for lost wages and benefits and emotional distress.

    How much of this is for emotional distress?

    I would like to sue the CIty Council, the Board of Supervisors, the state legislature, Gavin Newsom, CNN, MSNBC. ABC, CBS, and NBC.

  3. Those in LE know the lazy culture of our county Sheriff office. Its amazing anything gets done in county jurisdiction without the help of San Jose.

      • Well, Joe it is pretty funny I agree since the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s office has been lazy for quite some time but, has always depended on the San Jose Police Department. It is not exactly shocking how few cases they get done and this Captain complaining looks like she was by the upper command’s side for a while then all the sudden was thrown so now she throws complaints. Something tells me this will not win anything. Lazy Santa Clara County Sheriffs since 1998.

  4. Good luck! The County Counsel is a bunch of liars. You can’t trust blood sick vampires. Be prepared for them to try and attack you with everything but the kitchen sink.

    In the end, you’ll only be fighting for money and I hope you realize like I did – It just ain’t worth it. They’ll settle, since they are playing with House Money. You’ll never get the apology over the handling of your case or deal with anyone from their office with the character and depth to discuss the facts. It’s better to just enjoy your retirement and be glad you’re free from the circus that is 70W and Younger.

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