Three lawsuits filed against Cathedral City Fire Chief Michael Contreras, two more expected to be filed
Garrett Hottle
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) Three lawsuits have been brought against Cathedral City and Fire Chief Michael Contreras, with more expected, an attorney involved with the cases tells News Channel 3.
The lawsuits, which were filed by Beaman Jacinto Law P.C., involve present and former workers of the Cathedral City Fire Department. Megan J. Beaman, an attorney with Beaman Jacinto Law, says they’re currently representing five clients total, and they hope to file at least two additional complaints.
“So we have two cases filed where they’ve been returned to us from the court,” Megan J. Beaman an attorney with Beaman Jacinto Law P.C. said. “The third one, we’re still waiting for a case number and for the final stamped documents. But it’s been filed, And then there are two others that we haven’t filed yet.
Megan J. Beaman, an attorney with Beaman Jacinto Law, says they’re currently representing five clients total.
They involve accusations of illegal, retaliatory, and abusive actions on the part of Chief Contreras.
“So with respect to our clients in their employment with the Cathedral City Fire Department, we see as a big picture a common thread of really abusive and retaliatory unlawful conduct by the fire chief, Michael Contreras, as well as the deputy that he appointed, who kind of toes the line for him, which is Steven Tuma,” Beaman Jacinto said. “So the both of them have also been individually, named as defendants in the lawsuit, as well as the city of Cathedral City for their fire department.”
Two of the plaintiffs are employed by the department and have been employed for close to 30 years, as detailed by Beaman-Jacinto. She explained that they are high-ranking officials who had never brought complaints along these lines.
“They’re basically a top management underneath the fire chief. And they had spent two of the three had spent, nearly three decades there, still working at the, at the fire department. But they’ve been with the city for nearly three decades, each person, and they’ve never had to bring a case of this nature. They’ve never been, you know, complaining employees, so to speak.”
All of the claims follow two internal investigations conducted by the city into the fire department. The most recent concluded in June.
A Cathedral City representative acknowledged that the administrative probe is finished but would not elaborate, as there is pending litigation.
News Channel 3 contacted Chief Contreras for comment and is waiting for his response.
This is a developing story.
Stay with News Channel 3 for updates.