The former chief investigator for the Riverside County public defender's office contends in a federal civil-rights suit that sex discrimination and conflicts of interest were behind her firing last year.

Paula Jones alleges that the public defender, the county's human-resources director, Jones' successor and his wife conspired to get rid of her in January 2000, ending a 20-year career as a defense investigator, the last two years as chief.

Gary Windom was appointed Riverside County public defender in September 1999, and five weeks later, he placed Jones on disciplinary administrative leave without telling her why, according to the suit filed Monday in the Riverside branch of U.S. District Court.

Jones was fired Jan. 31, 2000, and still has not had a due-process hearing, something county employees are entitled to, the suit said.

In her suit, Jones contends that she was illegally fired because of her gender.

Windom declined to comment Tuesday.

The alleged conflicts of interest involved Calvin Freeman, who replaced Jones as chief investigator, and his wife, Debra Freeman, a human-relations staff member who investigated the personnel case against Jones.

Calvin Freeman declined comment Tuesday. Debra Freeman did not return calls seeking comment.

The suit further alleges that Ronald W. Komers, director of Riverside County's human-resources department, "assigned, allowed or condoned the assignment of defendant Debra Freeman to investigate defendant Windom's allegations" against Jones despite Freeman's financial interest in the case.

"I prefer not to comment at this time except to deny any allegations made in the lawsuit of wrongdoing," Komers said Tuesday.

The lawsuit asserts that Calvin Freeman was Windom's "de facto chauffeur," who drove the public defender "about the county to meetings and other matters," and also was Windom's confidant.

Debra Freeman knew that her husband was in a position to be promoted to chief investigator upon Jones' firing, the suit said.

Komers, as the personnel chief, has the authority and responsibility to prevent county officials from discriminating against employees and violating their civil rights, the suit said.

Instead, Komers enabled Windom to wrongly fire Jones in part because of Windom's past favor for Komers' brother, Gary, the suit said.

Gary Komers and Windom had worked together in Ventura County when Komers was a public defender's investigator there and Windom was a deputy public defender. When Gary Komers filed for a job-related disability pension, Windom testified on his behalf, according to the suit.

Jones, who remains unemployed, is seeking at least $500,000 in damages on several grounds.

Windom's notice of termination said Jones acted to undermine Windom's policy of rotating investigators, which Jones denied. Nothing she did amounted to a firing offense, the suit said.

Rees Lloyd of Banning, one of Jones' lawyers, said his client was punished for her thoughts, not actions.

"She was fired because the boss thinks she is thinking about doing something to undermine his policy," Lloyd said. "It's a thought crime."

Lloyd, acting on behalf of his wife, Deputy Public Defender Gail Cronyn, recently filed a sex-discrimination suit against Windom and others.

Cronyn won an early round in her case when Riverside County Superior Court Judge Victor Miceli ruled that Windom had violated Cronyn's rights when he ordered that she was not to contact colleagues in the public defender's office.

Mike Kataoka can be reached by e-mail at mkataoka@pe.com or by phone at (909) 782-7560.