Imperial County and supervisor facing lawsuit
Abraham Retana
IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – Imperial County, along with one of the county supervisors, are part of a lawsuit.
A former clerk of the board filed the lawsuit, accusing the supervisor of workplace misconduct, sexual harassment, and wrongful termination.
A 25-page lawsuit, filed on June 27 in the Imperial County Superior Court, outlines disturbing allegations from Blanca Acosta, a former longtime employee of the county clerk of the board’s office.
She claims she endured sexual harassment, a hostile work environment, retaliation, and wrongful termination, all allegedly involving supervisor Jesus Eduardo Escobar.
Acosta’s lawsuit details what she describes as repeated unwanted sexual advances by supervisor Escobar, starting as far back as 2022.
She alleges Escobar forcibly kissed her and made sexually inappropriate comments while they were alone in his office.
She claims she didn’t report the incidents initially out of fear for her job, telling only a colleague.
Later, she says the inappropriate behavior escalated and continued even after she made internal complaints to county officials.
According to the suit, county officials, including the CEO and Human Resources director, were informed of the misconduct but took no formal disciplinary action against Escobar.
Instead, Acosta was placed on administrative leave and eventually terminated without cause in April of 2025.
Acosta is seeking compensation for emotional distress, legal fees and punitive damages.
Her attorney, Manuel Eorrales Jr., also filed a formal complaint with California’s civil rights department.
We reached out to County Supervisor Escobar, and Imperial County for comment on the lawsuit, but as of now, no official statement has been released.
We also reached out to the defense attorneys, but they haven’t responded.
We’ll continue to follow this story and provide you with the latest details as they become available.