Fired Bell official's lawsuit says city owes him $837,000
One of the highest paid officials in Bell, fired at the peak of the corruption investigation that included a search of his house, has sued the city for $837,000, including a payout for 329 unused sick and vacation days.Previously:
Eric Eggena was fired shortly after the salaries of the top rung of municipal officials in Bell were made public. Eight former officials are now facing criminal charges and, while Eggena is not among them, his house was searched as the L.A. County district attorney's office built its public corruption case.
"His name came up a lot during our investigation, and he certainly received a suspiciously high salary," Deputy Dist. Atty. Max Huntsman said.
When Eggena went to work for Bell in 2002 he earned $90,000 a year, but his salary nearly tripled over the next eight years with his total compensation swelling to $421,000 annually, in the top tier of city officials nationwide.
In addition to his salary, the city paid the employee portion of Eggena's Medicare and Social Security deductions, and he accumulated double sick and vacation time, according to his contracts.
"I think it's simply outrageous," said Anthony Taylor, an attorney for Bell.
Eggena was one of several officials in Bell who received outsized salaries and benefits, led by former Chief Administrative Officer Robert Rizzo, whose compensation reached $1.5 million a year, along with 107 vacation days and 36 sick days a year.
Former police Chief Randy Adams, whose salary of $457,000 a year made him one of the highest paid law enforcement officials in the nation, also has sued the city for severance pay....MORE
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