City sues to recover $85,000 from former employee

The City of Huntington Beach is suing a former employee in hopes of recapturing more than $85,000 it accidentally overpaid her in retirement benefits.

The city filed suit against Nilda Brooks, a former building department employee, in December, City Atty. Jennifer McGrath said at the Monday City Council meeting.

According to the lawsuit, Brooks owes $85,302 to the city; after underpaying her for a year, the city accidentally started giving her $1,548 per month instead of $171, and only caught the error in early 2007.

City officials asked for the money back twice, but were not repaid, according to court documents.

Efforts to reach Brooks were unsuccessful.

It is the only ongoing lawsuit against a former employee to recover such overpaid benefits McGrath said; the city has looked into its books to seek out other such errors, she added.

— Michael Alexander