SAN MATEO COUNTY OFFICIALS said they were not responsible for posting confidential court documents related to the possible removal of Sheriff Christina Corpus, stating that her own legal team publicly filed the materials during court proceedings last week.
“The County of San Mateo, including its attorneys, did not post confidential court records related to the removal of Sheriff Christina Corpus on the San Mateo County Superior Court website,” County Executive Office officials said in a statement Wednesday. “These records were publicly filed by counsel representing the sheriff.”
The sheriff’s attorneys, from the law firm Murphy, Pearson, Bradley & Feeney, reportedly submitted documents, including a notice of intent to remove, related exhibits, and the transcript of the pre-decisional conference — but did not file them under seal, according to the county.
“They did not, however, file these documents under seal and therefore, they were publicly posted on the Superior Court’s website,” county officials said. “Neither the County nor its attorneys were involved in the filing of these documents nor their posting by the court.”
Neither Corpus nor her team of lawyers immediately issued a response about the documents becoming public.
Sheriff Corpus has consistently claimed that documents tied to the removal proceedings under Section 412.5 of the San Mateo County Charter are confidential. But the County Executive’s Office said it has not released the records, which include a notice of intent to remove the sheriff based on an independent investigation by the law firm Keker, Van Nest & Peters, supporting exhibits, a transcript of a pre-decisional conference before Chief Probation Officer John Keene, and his recommendation to proceed with removal.
On Friday, the sheriff’s legal team sought a restraining order from the San Mateo County Superior Court to stop the charter-authorized removal process. The application was denied.
Both parties have submitted documentation to be included in the court record.
Following a scathing 400-page investigation released in November 2024, Corpus was accused of abuse of power, retaliation, racial and homophobic slurs, nepotism and placing her chief of staff — allegedly her romantic partner — in a high-paying role.
In March, voters approved Measure A, amending the county charter to grant the Board of Supervisors authority to remove the sheriff for cause with a supermajority vote. In June, the board unanimously accepted Chief Probation Officer John Keene’s recommendation to remove her, marking the first such use of this provision in California history.
Corpus has denied wrongdoing, called the process politically motivated, sued the county, and vowed to fight through appeals.