In a wholesale rejection of the county's arguments, a superior court judge has shot down Fulton's assertion that it can't be sued under the state whistleblower law because it has sovereign immunity. Judge Jerry Baxter signed an order Tuesday denying Fulton's motion to dismiss lawsuits filed by fired Deputy County Manager Gwen Warren and demoted internal investigator Maria Colon.

The women claim they were retaliated against because they planned to hand the district attorney evidence of embezzlement by a group of employees, even after County Manager Zachary Williams ordered them to hold off.