The North County Jail project just became $467,000 more expensive.
Grady Williams, the former manager of the North County Jail project who sued the county for wrongful termination, recently settled with the county, receiving a $467,000 payout, the Santa Barbara Independent reported on Sept. 16.
In November 2013, Williams—a former capital projects manager for the county’s General Services Department—was fired for allegedly misleading staff on his status as a professional engineer. Grady was accused of using the title of “PE” on his business card and email signature line, when he was actually licensed as such in Washington and not California, according to Santa Barbara County court records.
However, Williams appealed and Superior Court Judge Donna Geck reinstated him to his job last January.
Williams was asking for $5 million in compensation for his wrongful termination lawsuit filed in March 2014. Williams argued that he was fired because he was acting on a doctor’s advice and asking for more days off to treat his late-stage cancer.
During his employment with the county, Williams earned around $150,000 per year.
As a condition of the settlement, Williams must retire from his position at the General Services Department, which he’s held since 2002, according to the county’s human resources department.
When Williams was reinstated, he lost the position of managing the North County Jail project and was instead put in charge of smaller projects.
Inquiries from the Sun to Williams’ attorney Michael McGill were not immediately returned.
With the project currently waiting on bids, construction of the North County Jail is expected to cost more than $96 million, according to the county’s Northern Branch Jail Project website.
This article appears in Sep 24 – Oct 1, 2015.