WHEN IN DOUBT, SUE

By Bob Walsh

IT WAS ALL AN HONEST MISTAKE.  At least that is the story, and he is sticking to it.

Jovan Thomas, 56, was sacked from his gig as a Victim's Advocate with the S. F. District Attorney's Office.  He sent an inappropriate email (which then circulated on social media) to his boss, D. A. Brooke Jenkins.  The email said, "WHAT COLOR PANTIES YOU HAVE ON."  Ms. Jenkins was not amused.

Thomas asserts that he has been essentially blackballed since being fired.  Ms. Jenkins, to no surprise, called the action by Thomas "misoginistic."

Thomas further asserts that he intended to send the email to a (male) friend, and old frat brother of his in order to cheer the friend up and that it was not intended to Jenkins at all and was not intended to be sexual, obscene or misoginistic in any way.  Allegedly he hit "reply all" to a calendar item he received in the normal course of business from his boss, sending the unfortunate missive in error.  It went to the full staff of the D. A.s office.

Thomas' lawyer says that there is no reasonable way that the message could have reasonably be interpreted as anything but a mistake.  He sent out a second email IMMEDIATELY after the problematic one, explaining and apologizing for the error.

Back in 2018 Thomas was on the receiving end of a sexual harassment complaint.  He was later dropped from the complaint and the county was found to be not liable in court.

Right now Thomas' action is in the form of a complaint against the county.  If that complaint is dismissed it will, presumably, move to an actual lawsuit.