LAS VEGAS (KTNV) – Another lawsuit filed by an employee against the Clark County School District (CCSD) is the latest legal action taken against the district this year.

The 32-page lawsuit was filed in federal court in mid-April by an IT supervisor, alleging a hostile work environment and serious financial problems within the department.

041624 Lawsuit filed against CCSD by christian.hudspeth on Scribd

When reached by phone Friday afternoon, the employee, Rick Allen, told Channel 13 that the lawsuit was his last resort after months of following the appropriate whistleblowing and HR channels, and he hopes “it leads to a more positive culture within CCSD, focused on the safety and security of staff and students.”

In the lawsuit, Allen’s attorney, Trevor Hatfield, alleges that Allen’s role has been significantly diminished over time, and that the change in his responsibilities — including the lack of department budget oversight — may have led to 26 IT employees lost their jobs and contributed to CCSD’s October 2023 cybercrime attack.

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Channel 13 reached out to CCSD for a response to this latest lawsuit, and a spokesperson responded that the district does not comment on pending litigation.

The district recently cited both cybersecurity challenges and higher legal costs as costly contributors to its multi-million dollar budget deficit, which was originally estimated at $20 million but was revised to nearly $11 million by CCSD Interim Superintendent Brenda Larsen-Mitchell at Thursday’s board meeting . .

Also at Thursday’s meeting, trustees voted to approve another $3.5 million payout for a separate lawsuit. Channel 13 was told Wednesday by a district spokesperson that the lawsuit involved minors and that they could provide no other details.

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CCSD shares adjustment to possible central budget deficit during board meeting

A district representative said the CCSD budgeted $30 million for legal costs, and they exceeded that by $23 million.