The Riverside City Council voted unanimously this week to dismiss City Attorney Phaedra Norton “without cause.”

In a 5-0 vote in closed session Tuesday, Councilmembers Clarissa Cervantes, Philip Falcone, Steve Hemenway, Jim Perry and Steven Robillard voted for the immediate termination of Norton. Councilmembers Chuck Conder and Sean Mill recused themselves from the vote.

“The City Council decided to dismiss the city attorney without cause per the terms of the city attorney’s employment contract,” Perry announced in open session of the Tuesday meeting. “This action is effective immediately.”

Norton has been on administrative leave since Sept. 18. She was hired by the city in 2021 and poised for a contract extension and pay increase in 2024, before filing a claim against the city, Conder and Mill on Sept. 9. In her claim, Norton alleged the council members created a hostile work environment after she filed a lawsuit against Conder and a former council member on behalf of the city. The lawsuit is ongoing.

There was no update on Norton’s claim or the lawsuit by late Wednesday. The city did not provide additional details about the city attorney’s dismissal.

Efforts to reach Norton were unsuccessful.

“It was a 5-0 vote and two people who recused,” city spokesperson Phil Pitchford said Wednesday. “And the rest of it is a personnel matter.”

In Norton’s absence, Assistant City Attorney Jack Liu has served as interim city attorney.

The council plans to recruit a city attorney, but there’s no estimate for how long that process will take, Pitchford said.

The council will discuss the city attorney position in a closed session at a special meeting at noon Tuesday at the City Hall Art Pick Council Chambers, 3900 Main St.