Calif. Mayor Sues Police Union for Intimidation, Defamation

Conspiracy alleged to try to get him arrested for DUI

The decision by Costa Mesa's mayor, his wife and another councilman to sue the city's police association and its former law firm for harassment, intimidation, libel and other alleged damages is a highly unusual step and possibly unprecedented for a sitting elected official, legal and labor experts said Wednesday.

"As far as I know, I've never seen it," UC Irvine School of Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky said. "It's very unusual, definitely."

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Orange County Superior Court, alleges a conspiracy against Mayor Jim Righeimer, his wife, Lene, and Mayor Pro Tem Steve Mensinger.