LA Sheriff 'unlawfully' rehired deputy who was fired after being accused of grabbing his ex-girlfriend cop by the neck and trying to break into her home, judge rules

A California judge has ruled that Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva acted unlawfully when he rehired a deputy who was fired over domestic violence allegations involving a fellow officer.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff’s ruling last week is the latest in the drawn-out legal fight between Villanueva and the county’s board of supervisors over the controversial reinstatement of the deputy, Caren Carl Mandoyan. 

The supervisors sued Villanueva in March 2019. Mandoyan had been fired in 2016 by then-Sheriff Jim McConnell after officials believed he had lied during an investigation into claims that he grabbed his ex-girlfriend, who is also an officer, by the neck, made repeated attempts to break into the woman's home, and sent her harassing text messages. 

A California judge has ruled that LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva's decision to rehire fired deputy Caren Mandoyan was 'unlawful'

Villanueva rehired the deputy, who acted as his driver during his campaign, immediately after being elected sheriff in 2018

One of Mandoyan's alleged break-in attempts was caught on security video.  

Greg Smith, Mandoyan’s attorney, said his client lived with the woman and was trying to get back inside after he was locked out without his car keys, gun and badge. Smith said Mandoyan never assaulted the woman. 

The deputy was never criminally charged in this case.  

The ousted Mandoyan volunteered on Villanueva’s campaign for sheriff in 2018 by acting as his driver, and the newly elected sheriff later rehired him. 

The move sparked a conflict between Villanueva and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, which filed a petition seeking to have Mandoyan's rehiring declared void.

In August 2019, the judge granted a preliminary injunction, ordering Mandoyan to surrender all county property in his possession, including uniforms, badges and weapons, and barring him from presenting himself as a deputy.

'I am not going to be homeless, I have to provide for my family,' Mandoyan told Eyewitness News last year. 'I haven't done anything wrong -- I am not a problem child.' 

Mandoyan's attorney filed a motion asking to dissolve or modify the injunction, but the judge denied it this past June.  

Mandoyan was fired in 2016 after allegedly grabbing his ex-girlfriend by the neck and trying to break into her home. Security video caught his attempts to enter the residence

In his 17-page opinion issued last week, Beckloff sided with the board of supervisors, ruling that Villanueva exceeded his authority when he rehired Mandoyan and offered him full back pay and benefits worth $200,000 as part of a settlement, which he declared void, reported Los Angeles Times.

Mandoyan plans to appeal the judge's decision, and he has another lawsuit pending in a bid to get his job back 

'No statute grants the Sheriff the authority to control litigation or enter into settlement agreements on behalf of the County,' Beckloff wrote. 

The judge also stated that the rehiring decision was 'unlawful' because Mandoyan's name did not appear on a certified eligibility list in December 2018.  

Louis 'Skip' Miller, an attorney representing the county, praised the ruling. 

'We think this is the right ruling, that this individual does not belong in the LASD and are pleased that justice has prevailed,' Miller said.

Smith, Mandoyan's attorney, said they plan to appeal the decision and are hopeful about the ultimate outcome of the case. 

Mandoyan has another lawsuit pending, seeking a new investigation into the domestic violence allegations. 

His complaint cited a 100-page sheriff's department report stating that Mandoyan was denied due process, and that the internal investigation left out new exculpatory information that could have prevented his firing.

Sheriff Villanueva has publicly defended the deputy and questions the veracity of his accuser's allegations.