CCSD is facing a new lawsuit filed by an employee in mid-April over ongoing budget problems

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

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

041624 Lawsuit against CCSD filed by christian.hudspeth on Scribd

Reached by phone Friday afternoon, the employee, Rick Allen, told Channel 13 that the lawsuit was his last resort after months of pursuing the proper whistleblower and HR channels and hopes “this leads to a more positive outcome.” culture within CCSD that focuses on the safety and security of staff and students.”

In the lawsuit, Allen's attorney, Trevor Hatfield, alleges that Allen's role was significantly reduced over time and that the change in his responsibilities – including the lack of control over the department's budget – may have resulted in 26 IT employees losing their jobs and the CCSD's cyberattack in October 2023 would have contributed to the attack.

RELATED STORY | Special education teachers face 'unprecedented crisis,' discrimination in CCSD schools, lawsuit claims

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 issues and increased legal fees as costly factors in its multimillion-dollar budget deficit, originally estimated at $20 million but estimated by interim CCSD Superintendent Brenda Larsen-Mitchell at Thursday's board meeting to be nearly $11 million was revised.

At Thursday's meeting, trustees also voted to approve an additional $3.5 million payout for a separate lawsuit. A district spokesman told Channel 13 on Wednesday that the lawsuit involved minors, but could not provide further details.

VIEW | CCSD announces adjustment to potential central budget deficit during board meeting

CCSD announces adjustment to potential central budget deficit during board meeting

A district representative said CCSD budgeted $30 million for litigation costs and exceeded that amount by $23 million.