Another lawsuit set to be filed by hundreds of Pajaro residents against government agencies including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

PAJARO, Calif. (KION) - People in Pajaro are now suing Monterey and Santa Cruz County plus other government entities for neglecting the Pajaro levee which resulted in the town flooding during last year's storms.

KION is now learning that an additional lawsuit is in the process of being filed.

People in Pajaro came together to make sure the trauma they endured wasn't just being washed away.

"It feels like we've forgotten over here," says Lorina Mohammed who lives in Pajaro.

Multiple lawsuits have been filed or are in the process of being filed.

On Monday, KION previously reported on a 64-page lawsuit targeting Caltrans and Monterey and Santa Cruz counties.

KION has learned an additional​ lawsuit is in the works targeting not just those agencies, but also will include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Attorney Jefferey Nadrich who is a Los Angeles based attorney is representing around 500 people affected by the March 2023 floods.

"The Army Corps of Engineers signed off on these plans. So they signed off on these plans, and therefore they're liable as well," says Nadrich.

With the majority of the population in Pajaro being undocumented and low-income – Nadrich says this underserved community deserves justice.

"Our position is that this was this community was given short shrift by, Monterey County, and by that it was the lowest priority they had of that contractual obligation to clean and the levee, to keep it clean," says Nadrich.

With the evidence they have, Nadrich tells me there is a good chance this lawsuit will favor the people he's representing.

"We have a lot of clients that have lost their businesses on Salinas Road and, loss of business, loss of clothing, loss of property, flood damage," Nadrich said. "And we bring in experts to prove those cases."

Nadrich says this lawsuit could take years to get resolved but he said that he will not take their foot off the gas until the people of Pajaro get back what they lost.

Both Monterey and Santa Cruz counties previously told us they would not comment on ongoing litigation at this time.

Nadrich also tells KION it could take two weeks before this additional lawsuit is filed.