The Orange County Rescue Squad filed suit against Orange County and county emergency services director Rojas Montes de Oca Jr. on Monday.
The suit alleges that an order to stand down last summer was illegally issued and claims that the county has had inadequate rescue and emergency transport services since the stand-down.
The squad, which contracted with the county to perform rescue extrication and other emergency services, was ordered to stand down last summer after Montes de Oca received complaints questioning the squad’s performance and professionalism. In December, the squad was allowed to return to limited service after extensive review.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court, seeks $1.2 million in damages.