Robert Rizzo, the disgraced former city manager of Bell who reportedly took home as much as $1.5 million in compensation, wants you to foot his legal bill.

That's right. Rizzo, who helped spark the salary scandal in which several city officials in the working class town were taking home healthy six-figure salaries, claims that his employment deal with Bell included covering his lawyers should something like this come up.

He might have a point.

Rizzo's lawyers filed more than 400 pages to prove that his deal included city-funded defense “against any type of claim.”

Eek.

“All of the claims triggered a defense obligation from the city of Bell under Mr. Rizzo's employment agreement and Mr. Rizzo tendered the claims to the city for a defense, but the tenders were all denied by the city,” the filing reads, in part.

Ironclad?

We dunno. A judge will have to decide.

Rizzo faces misappropriation of public funds charges in the biggest political scandal to rock SoCal in a long time.

-With reporting from City News Service. Got news? Email us. Follow us on Twitter, too: @dennisjromero.

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