The lawyer who led the investigation into the CalPERS bribery case is being sued for defamation by one of the pension fund's former investment advisers.
Pacific Corporate Group of Coronado and its principal Christopher Bower sued Washington, D.C., attorney Philip Khinda, his law firm Steptoe & Johnson and Navigant Consulting Inc. over the work they did investigating Pacific Corporate's work for CalPERS. The investigation began in 2009 and lasted 18 months.
Khinda led the probe of former CalPERS board member Alfred Villalobos, who earned tens of millions of dollars in commissions from private equity firms that got investment business from the big pension fund. A state lawsuit accused Villalobos and former CalPERS Chief Executive Fred Buenrostro of bribery.
CalPERS fired Pacific Corporate in October 2010 amid allegations that it had close ties to Villalobos.
The lawsuit was filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Call The Bee's Dale Kasler, (916) 321-1066. Follow him on Twitter @dakasler.
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