LOS ANGELES, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Robert Rizzo, who resigned as city manager of Bell, Calif., after his huge salary was revealed, may be due more money, his lawyer says.
The attorney, James Spertus, says the city reneged on an agreement to provide the longtime city administrator with severance payments and other benefits when he resigned earlier this summer, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.
Spertus said the city is violating state labor laws and should begin new negotiations over Rizzo's departure.
Rizzo resigned after it was revealed he was set to earn more than $1.5 million in compensation this year, making him one of the highest paid officials in the nation.
He and seven other Bell city administrators were charged last month with public corruption for allegedly misappropriating more than $5.5 million from the small, working-class community.
Since he resigned, Rizzo has also requested that the city pay his legal bills.
Some Bell residents were outraged at Rizzo's demand for more money and urged city officials to take a hard line.
"This is Rizzo's way of spiting us," said Nestor Valencia, a community activist. "The city will now have to get a lawyer and fight him on this. He's literally just abusing us more."
