"While he worked with Rojas, Battle's complaint alleges, she required him "to be on call 24/7" and do her personal errands. In addition to mowing her lawn, he says he was asked to plan her vacations and pick up dry cleaning. The lawsuit also says Battle would pick up Rojas' daughter and use LAPD email authorization to "track" her daughter's phone usage."
"Battle also alleges that Rojas asked him to spy for her by tracking when Dear's girlfriend or wife would leave. Battle says he refused. The court document states that Battle raised his concerns about this "improper and illegal conduct" to Assistant City Manager Robert Lennox on "numerous occasions.""
"In a lawsuit filed by the former City of Carson employee against the city in 2024, Justin Battle argues that he was terminated due to his complaints about the alleged illegal conduct and his refusal to engage in it. Battle also states in the complaint that Rojas repeatedly asked him to "spy on and video and record" fellow Councilmember Jim Dear."
Justin Battle, a former assistant to Carson Councilwoman Arleen Bocatija Rojas, filed a 2024 lawsuit against the city alleging wrongful termination. Battle claims Rojas required him to perform personal household duties including lawn mowing, vacation planning, and dry cleaning pickup while maintaining 24/7 availability. He further alleges Rojas misused LAPD tracking tools to monitor her daughter's phone and requested he spy on fellow Councilmember Jim Dear. Battle reported these concerns to Assistant City Manager Robert Lennox multiple times, but the requests continued. The city's legal response argues Battle was terminated for legitimate performance reasons unrelated to his complaints.
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