San Diego, California – A California jury on Thursday awarded over $3 million to former Orange County prosecutor Tracy Miller, concluding a two-week trial that exposed deep internal fractures within one of the state’s most prominent district attorney offices. Miller alleged that she was targeted and ultimately forced out of her role after supporting female colleagues who came forward with sexual harassment complaints against a senior supervisor.
The verdict, reached in San Diego, held Orange County, District Attorney Todd Spitzer, and former Chief Assistant District Attorney Shawn Nelson liable for retaliatory conduct and emotional harm. Miller, a longtime prosecutor with more than two decades of service, said she faced escalating hostility after cooperating with an internal investigation into Gary Logalbo, a high-ranking prosecutor and close associate of Spitzer. Logalbo was later found to have harassed four female attorneys before he died in 2021.
Miller’s lawsuit claimed she became a target within the office following her cooperation, citing examples of public humiliation, gender-based slurs, and attempts to undermine her authority. She said the environment worsened when she stood by the women accusing Logalbo—one of whom Spitzer allegedly tried to punish. She also claimed Spitzer and Nelson criticized her for taking notes during meetings and otherwise treated her with disdain…