City Receives $1.5 Million Claim Against It

After filing a public records request, the Daily Breeze reported Wednesday that former Manhattan Beach City Attorney Robert Wadden has filed a $1.5 million claim against the city regarding his termination in April.

Wadden, 63, filed the claim on Sept. 16, according to the Breeze, and alleges that the city breached its employment contract with him when he wasn't paid what he considers a contractually mandated severance of $155,197, plus interest. He is also asking for unspecified damages for age discrimination and "loss of future earnings due to disparagement." The filing of a claim is often a precursor to a lawsuit, the Breeze noted.

Wadden had been the city attorney for more than 15 years when he was let go by the City Council after a series of eight closed-session meetings held by the City Council in which Wadden's job performance was discussed. He had been placed on administrative leave after the seventh closed-session council meeting on March 29.

Wadden factored into the dismissal of former City Manager Geoff Dolan by advising the City Council in that matter and a subsequent lawsuit against the city by Californians Aware, a watchdog group that the city ultimately settled with out of court. 

Dolan filed a $500,000 claim against the city in May, alleging disparagement. He left the city in December 2009 without explanation and was given a severance package of more than $195,000. Californians Aware, under the leadership of its vice president, Richard McKee, got the city to admit to wrongdoing in the handling of Dolan's departure.

The City Council in place at that time issued a letter of apology to residents a week after the city settled the Californians Aware/McKee lawsuit.

In the settlement, the city agreed to reimburse McKee's estimated $70,000 in legal fees; release all public documents related to the case, including an anonymous letter that moved the council to make decisions on Dolan's employment; require some city staff to be trained on the California Public Records Act within 90 days; and require training on the Brown Act, the state's open-meeting law, within six months for individuals serving on the City Council and city boards and commissions.

Wadden's wife, Lisa Kranitz Wadden, posted a comment on Manhattan Beach Patch in response to the article . Her comment reads, "I just read the City of Manhattan Beach’s update about the plastic bag case on its website with utter amazement. While it must be difficult, and somewhat embarrassing, for the City to give credit to someone they treated so badly, to not do so shows a total lack of integrity. To set the record straight and to make sure credit is given where it is really due, it should be known that Bob Wadden, the former City Attorney, did all of the work on the plastic bag case on behalf of the City from the inception of the lawsuit through the filing of the Supreme Court briefs and it is his name alone that appears on the published opinion as the City’s attorney. While the amicus writers undoubtedly did a commendable job arguing the case before the Supreme Court, it must be pointed out that the winning arguments were those made by Bob in the briefs. For the City to post this update without mentioning, let alone giving any credit to Bob shows the true nature of this organization. And by the way, Bob's work on this did not cost the City a dime."