Cnty. of L. A. v. L. A. Cnty. Civil Serv. Comm'n

*176 INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY

The County of Los Angeles fired Gregory Merritt, a supervisor in the County's Department of Children and Family Services for (1) failing to adequately supervise a social worker, Patricia Clement, and (2) approving Clement's unjustifiable closure of a case of suspected child abuse without first consulting the Department's records, as required by Department policy. Those records indicated the child-eight-year-old Gabriel Fernandez-was at risk of further abuse and that the file unquestionably should not have been closed. In May 2013, less than two months after Merritt approved closing the file, thereby ending the Department's efforts to protect the child, Gabriel's mother and her boyfriend beat the child to death. 1

*177 Merritt appealed his discharge to the Civil Service Commission. After taking evidence, a hearing officer found that Merritt had been negligent, but set aside the discharge, instead imposing a 10-day suspension as the only penalty. The County objected to reinstating Merritt. In response, and without reading the record or receiving any further evidence, the Commission adopted the hearing officer's negligence findings, but substituted a…