Ex-City Executive Loses His Lawsuit
The city’s former finance director has lost a federal slander suit.
Phillip Molina, 54, sued Oxnard and its top administrator after being fired two years ago amid debate over financing of a new municipal golf course.
Molina claimed he was slandered by City Manager Ed Sotelo in comments to a former city councilwoman and a radio reporter.
The case went to trial Aug. 31 in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. After four days of testimony, the jury began deliberations Friday morning and returned a unanimous verdict rejecting Molina’s claims that afternoon.
He had been seeking more than $1 million in damages.
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