Lawyers for San Diego County have agreed to pay $412,000 to two women who were alleged victims of Richard Fischer, the veteran sheriff’s deputy who was charged with 14 counts of criminal sexual misconduct earlier this year.

The settlements, agreed to by the plaintiffs and their attorneys Tuesday, are the first resolutions to 15 separate lawsuits brought by Fischer’s accusers.

The 32-year-old deputy, who remains free on bail pending his criminal court proceedings, was charged in February with 14 counts of sexual battery and other crimes after a string of women said Fischer groped them, exposed himself to them or otherwise acted improperly during law enforcement contacts.

The Sheriff’s Department opened an investigation into Fischer’s activities last fall after a woman claimed he groped her while responding to a service call.


The investigation expanded to more than a dozen incidents dating back to 2015 as more alleged victims came forward after The San Diego Union-Tribune first reported on the case. One woman said she warned officials in a 2015 letter about Fischer’s improper behavior, but officials said they never received the correspondence.

San Diego attorney Dan Gilleon said county officials want to resolve the lawsuits but have not agreed to terms for the majority of women allegedly abused by Fischer.

“We received offers on all 15 cases, but these are the only ones we believe are in the ballpark,” he said. “The others are unrealistic.


“The majority of my clients are disappointed that the county is unwilling to accept responsibility for the serious harm its deputy caused them,” he added. “The two victims who settled did so, in part, because they did not want to continue reliving the assaults, which is required in litigation.”

The Sheriff’s Department issued a statement saying it does not tolerate sexual misconduct within its ranks and officials worked with prosecutors through every step of the investigation.

“We have the utmost confidence in the criminal justice system and we will continue to coordinate with and support the District Attorney’s Office as these cases move through the judicial process,” the statement said. “In regards to the civil lawsuits, we must refer to the Office of County Counsel.”

County officials declined to comment on the settlements Tuesday.


Under the agreements, a woman who was identified in court papers as C.P. will receive $262,000. Another woman identified as P.B. will receive $150,000. The settlements do not include statutory costs or reasonable attorney fees determined by the court.

According to the lawsuit filed by C.P., Fischer responded to a domestic-violence call at her San Marcos home in 2016 with another deputy and left after the man was arrested.

But he returned to the home a short time later and “caressed her in a sexually suggestive manner,” the lawsuit stated. “C.P. pulled away from Fischer, but said that he was not done yet and hugged her tightly again,” the lawsuit said.

After Fischer left a second time, he called the woman to say: “I’m down the street checking up on you,” the lawsuit alleged.


According to the lawsuit filed by the woman identified as P.B., Fischer repeatedly turned up at P.B.’s Lakeside home over a three-year period ending in 2017. He allegedly groped her and, in at least one incident, exposed himself to the woman, the complaint said.

“Fischer, on each occasion, and without plaintiff’s consent, hugged her and groped her buttocks, breasts and other parts of her body,” the lawsuit stated. “Fischer’s conduct escalated in the spring of 2017, when he again returned to plaintiff’s house unannounced and uninvited. This time, Fischer pulled his erect penis from his pants and exposed himself to plaintiff.”

The settlements, which resolve all claims alleged by the two women, does not admit any wrongdoing on the part of the county or Sheriff’s Department.

Fischer is on unpaid leave while termination proceedings advance. At his February arraignment in a Vista courtroom, he pleaded not guilty to all charges. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for later this month.


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jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1708 @sdutMcDonald