El Paso County Reaches Settlement in Wrongful Termination Suit with Former Assistant District Attorney
EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) – El Paso County Commissioners have settled a lawsuit brought by former Assistant district Attorney John Briggs, who alleged he was wrongfully terminated in August 2022. The resolution comes after more than two hours of closed-door deliberation.
Briggs, who previously served as a prosecutor on the August 3rd walmart shooting case, filed suit in 2024 claiming his dismissal was part of a politically motivated scheme orchestrated by then-District Attorney Yvonne Rosales. He alleged Rosales attempted to conceal her office’s involvement in a gag order violation related to the shooting and pressured him to sign a false affidavit, which he refused.Briggs also contested a negative performance review he stated he never received or had the opportunity to address.
“It’s nice to have a little bit of public vindication,” Briggs said following the settlement announcement. he noted the financial impact of his termination, stating, “I lost my employment. And so I had lost wages, lost benefits, things of that nature,” and that he subsequently spent five months prosecuting cases in Odessa to continue his work.
In a statement read by El Paso County Commissioner Iliana Holguin, the county acknowledged Briggs’ years of service. ”The county of El Paso appreciates the long record of service that John Briggs has provided to the office of the district attorney. Mr.Briggs should not have been terminated from his employment with the office of the district attorney by the district attorney in place at the time of his termination,” the statement read.
Details of the settlement, including the financial terms, were not disclosed by Briggs, who indicated he would await finalization of paperwork and a county judge’s approval before commenting further.