Paul Paradis, an attorney who done perform for the town attorney’s place of work and Division of H2o and Electricity, agreed two months in the past to plead responsible in a sprawling federal situation involving a collusive lawsuit, bribes and extortion.

Now, Paradis has filed a criticism with the city’s Ethics Commission inquiring the agency to investigate the actions of several men and women, which include Metropolis Atty. Mike Feuer and Mel Levine, a former president of the Board of H2o and Power Commissioners.

Paradis’ criticism was also sent to City Controller Ron Galperin’s place of work and the State Bar, the legal professional instructed The Times.

The 40-webpage document accuses additional than 50 percent a dozen officials at the DWP and town attorney’s workplace of violating town ethics principles or condition principles governing attorneys’ behavior.

Amid the problems leveled at Feuer is that he was mindful that his leading previous attorney, Main Deputy City Atty. Jim Clark, conducted function by means of an electronic mail related with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, the legislation organization that formerly employed Clark.

A agent for Feuer dismissed Paradis’ grievance, contacting it “a determined try by a confessed legal to divert awareness from his individual misconduct by baselessly trying to smear the standing of the Metropolis Lawyer.” Feuer is managing for mayor.

Levine, also a former associate and counsel at Gibson Dunn, violated the city’s ethics principles when he took actions that were being useful to the regulation organization, in accordance to Paradis’ grievance.

Levine’s attorney, Daniel Shallman, reported the allegations are devoid of advantage.

“Mr. Paradis has concocted a phony narrative to deflect accountability from his own corrupt prison carry out and egregious violations of legal ethics regulations,” Shallman reported.

The complaint follows many plea offer bulletins from prosecutors in the federal probe of the DWP and the city attorney’s business office above problems stemming from the botched rollout of a new DWP billing process in 2013.

Prosecutors say the city’s lawful crew secretly colluded with an Ohio law firm in an exertion to quickly settle a course-action lawsuit brought by DWP customers more than a new billing technique that overcharged hundreds of thousand of consumers.

Paradis, in his ethics complaint filed Wednesday, reported that as president of the DWP board, Levine in 2015 aided engineer L.A.’s lawsuit versus PricewaterhouseCoopers, the consulting firm which labored to install the billing technique.

Paradis was hired by Feuer’s office to sue PricewaterhouseCoopers, which the metropolis blamed for the billing catastrophe.

PricewaterhouseCoopers was a “client” of Gibson Dunn, in accordance to Paradis’ complaint. Consequently, Levine should have recused himself from matters involving the business, the complaint claims.

Alongside with other DWP board users, Levine voted in April 2015 to retain the services of outside lawyers — Paradis and yet another legal professional — to sue PricewaterhouseCoopers, the complaint alleges.

Levine also made use of his Gibson Dunn e-mail to mail and acquire info about the city’s scenario against PricewaterhouseCoopers, violating town ethics regulations about disclosing confidential info, Paradis alleges.

The criticism also alleges that Levine really should have recused himself when there was a discussion among the DWP administration and DWP board customers about no matter whether to briefly ban PricewaterhouseCoopers from doing the job as a DWP vendor because of anger over the firm’s alleged position in the billing scandal.

Alternatively, Levine intervened, according to Paradis’ complaint.

Levine, who represented California’s 27th District for 10 many years in the U.S. Home of Representatives, was appointed to the DWP board in 2013 by Mayor Eric Garcetti and served until finally 2020.

Garcetti spokesman Harrison Wollman advised The Instances Thursday that the mayor believes just about every complaint to the Ethics Office should be reviewed. The mayor “will reserve judgment on this make a difference right up until that procedure is complete,” Wollman reported.

Paradis’ complaint states that Clark — also a previous partner at Gibson Dunn who received retirement payments from the business — also assisted engineer the lawsuit towards PricewaterhouseCoopers. Clark also utilised his Gibson Dunn email, according to Paradis’ complaint.

Clark didn’t reply to a ask for for remark, nor did a agent for Gibson Dunn.

Paradis’ grievance involves email messages in which Feuer is included on the exchanges as many get-togethers talk about whether to carry on with debarment versus PricewaterhouseCoopers.

E-mails introduced in court docket documents in the PricewaterhouseCoopers situation have not often bundled Feuer, who has reported in his possess deposition in the circumstance that he delegated operate to other individuals in his business office.

A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s business office declined to comment on Paradis’ complaint. Paradis is cooperating with the ongoing federal criminal investigation, prosecutors have claimed. He has not yet been sentenced in the circumstance.