Former SLO County prosecutor drops harassment complaint against DA’s Office

A former prosecutor who accused the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office of harassment has dropped her case, according to court documents.

Rebecca Matthews, who filed a civil complaint at the San Luis Obispo Superior Court in February 2020, dismissed her case on Aug. 4 in an agreement with the county.

The settlement agreement entered on July 29 requires Mathews to “completely” release the county of all claims and retract any claims for restitution or other damages.

The complaint named District Attorney Dan Dow and Assistant District Attorney Eric Dobroth and alleged violations of her civil rights due to workplace harassment and discrimination due to a mental health disability, as previously reported by The Tribune.

Major delays occurred in the case due to COVID-19 impacts and Matthews’ unresponsiveness to proceedings from October 2020 to October 2021 when she was without legal representation.

The settlement also states that Mathews must pay $504 for not responding to discovery requests and for missing a court hearing and a case management conference during that period, according to court documents.

Another hearing was scheduled for Oct. 31 to determine whether the case would be dismissed, following a June 29 ruling by Superior Court Judge Tana Coates that said Matthews couldn’t be granted relief from the year she did not have a lawyer.

“Given Judge Coates’ recent ruling, Ms. Mathews really had little choice but to enter into an agreement with the County that included Ms. Mathews dismissing the case,” Mathew’s attorney Patrick Fisher wrote to the Tribune via email. “It is unfortunate that Ms. Mathews was left with this as her only sensible option.”

The case was dismissed “with prejudice,” meaning Mathews is barred from refiling the complaint.