Former treasurer Brian Johnson has filed a notice of claim against Pima County renewing allegations that county officials conspired to remove him from office and demanding he be paid for his remaining salary.
Johnson believes there was “a coordinated ‘meeting of the minds’ among specific administrative actors, County Administrator Jan Lesher, then Chief Deputy Treasurer Jake Martin, Megan Petersen, and others who exceeded their authority and used unlawful, coercive means to force me out, engineering an immediate vacancy through ultra vires threats,” he wrote in a new claim signed July 28.
The claim comes a little less than two months after public records revealed he was facing sexual harassment allegations from two female treasurer’s office employees, which Johnson has denied.
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Johnson’s resignation letter to supervisors said he had “recent changes in my personal responsibilities” that would prevent him from doing the work of Treasurer. He now claims it was unlawful because he was not able to access his records or see the complaints against him.
Johnson
“I was not given an opportunity to respond to the specific allegations or an opportunity to secure representation. Because of this denial of due process, my resignation on June 15, 2026, was legally involuntary,” the claim reads.
Johnson wrote he was not informed of the allegations against him until hearing about them in the media, who received the public records a week before he did, the claim reads. He said reports “vilified my reputation publicly.”
Johnson also claims there was no evidence the county verified the allegations against him before demanding he resign.
Lesher recommended Johnson resign due to what she saw as “irrefutable evidence” of sexual harassment in the workplace, she told the Star in June.
She denied any allegations of conspiracy from Johnson.
Johnson is asking for damages amounting to $260,000, which is the salary he would have earned for the rest of his term plus the amount that would have gone into his retirement had he not left office.
The county has 60 days to respond to Johnson’s notice of claim, which is the first legal step in suing the government.
Last week, the Pima County Board of Supervisors appointed Jorge Soto as treasurer through the end of Johnson’s term in Dec. 2028.
Johnson
