A former Los Angeles Division of Water and Energy board member linked to an alleged bribery scheme is dealing with State Bar of California disciplinary costs for allegedly soliciting and receiving greater than $31,000 in free authorized companies from an lawyer linked to the 2017 LADWP billing scandal.

The State Bar alleges that in the summertime of 2017, lawyer Invoice Funderburk was set to vote as a DWP Board Commissioner on a $30 million no-bid contract for a enterprise created by lawyer Paul Paradis — a cooperating witness within the DWP billing scandal — to offer consulting companies to the utility.

RELATED: Botched DWP billing scandal sends lawyer Paul Paradis to prison for 33 months

On the time, Paradis was covertly assisting in the settlement of a class action suit introduced on behalf of DWP ratepayers in opposition to town of Los Angeles following the disastrous rollout of a brand new DWP billing system overseen by PricewaterhouseCoopers, by which some ratepayers had been drastically overcharged, whereas others had been undercharged.

Paradis and lawyer Paul Kiesel had been working for town in its litigation in opposition to PWC on the identical time Paradis was working covertly with class counsel to rearrange a settlement of the ratepayer class motion on phrases favorable to town.

In keeping with the disciplinary discover, Funderburk was initially supportive of granting the contract to the enterprise. Within the weeks earlier than the DWP’s June 2017 vote, nevertheless, Funderburk let the utility’s officers know that he was reluctant to help the contract.

Across the identical time, Funderburk started sending textual content messages to Paradis to request and obtain free authorized companies valued at greater than $31,000 for an unrelated litigation matter. Quickly after, Funderburk mentioned he would vote in favor of Paradis’ contract, based on the State Bar.

In a quick dialog outdoors the assembly room earlier than voting to approve his contract, Funderburk allegedly informed Paradis, “You care for me, I care for you.”

State Bar Chief Trial Counsel George Cardona mentioned in a press release issued Wednesday, “As a steward of the Metropolis of Los Angeles’ Division of Water and Energy overseeing an annual funds of $5.5 billion, Mr. Funderburk had an moral and authorized obligation to make sure that he didn’t take actions that may seem like influenced by any conflicts of curiosity or items that he acquired. The disciplinary costs are primarily based on his failure to adjust to these obligations.”


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