A former longtime Desert Sun reporter who has investigated deaths in Riverside County jails has filed a lawsuit accusing Sheriff Chad Bianco's department of illegally withholding coroner's reports on some of the deaths.

The reporter, Christopher Damien, filed requests under the state public records law more than a year ago. In the lawsuit filed Thursday, Dec. 4, Damien alleges the sheriff's department broke state law by refusing to disclose some reports.

Bianco, who is running for governor as a Republican, frequently attacks the media as liberal, and the sheriff's department's Media Information Bureau issued a statement Thursday to The Desert Sun saying: "The lawsuit is about as legitimate as the articles Chris Damien writes; fictional pieces based on his own biased, anti-law enforcement

See Full Page