Rick Noriega’s lawsuit against Harris County is an active whistleblower retaliation case filed in August 2023 by the former Texas state representative and 2008 U.S. Senate candidate, who alleges the county fired him from his job leading its information technology department as payback for reporting that a sexual harassment complaint against him was false and malicious. Represented by Houston attorney Rusty Hardin, Noriega is seeking more than $1 million in damages under the Texas Whistleblower Act.1San Antonio Express-News. Rick Noriega Lawsuit Against Harris County
What Led to the Firing
Harris County hired Noriega in 2020 to run its Universal Services department, the agency functioning as the county’s IT arm.2Houston Public Media. Rick Noriega Harris County Internal Letter Details Charges That Led to Firing In December 2022, a county employee filed a sexual harassment complaint against him. She alleged that outside the Harris County Commissioners Court he had put an arm around her back, placed a hand on her shoulder, and kissed her forehead.
The county directed Noriega to complete mandatory sexual harassment training. He refused. Harris County terminated him in May 2023.
Noriega has characterized the alleged contact as a “hug and a peck on the cheek or forehead” and said “no reasonable person” would classify it as sexual harassment.3Houston Chronicle. Rick Noriega Lawsuit Against Harris County He contends the complaint was retaliation for disciplinary actions he had taken against the complainant’s husband, who worked under his supervision.
The Whistleblower Claim
Noriega’s suit argues that he reported to Harris County that the harassment accusation was unfounded, and that the county fired him in retaliation for that report. The Texas Whistleblower Act protects public employees who report violations of law by their employer to an appropriate law enforcement authority. Noriega is seeking more than $1 million. He also alleges that Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo made false statements about the incident and that the county has not cleared his name.
The County’s Defense and the 2024 Ruling
Harris County, represented by Norton Rose Fulbright, moved to dismiss the case on sovereign immunity grounds. The county’s position was that the Texas Whistleblower Act does not apply, because the dispute concerns internal personnel policies rather than violations of law.
Noriega’s attorneys argued that Harris County personnel policies effectively function as laws under the statute, because the Commissioners Court approves them. On May 6, 2024, Judge Jaclanel McFarland of the 133rd District Court denied the county’s motion to dismiss, allowing the case to proceed.4Houston Public Media. Rick Noriega’s Retaliation Lawsuit Against Harris County Can Continue, Judge Rules The judge did not provide specific reasons for her ruling. The lawsuit remains active.
Who Rick Noriega Is
Noriega represented District 145 in Harris County for five terms in the Texas House of Representatives, serving from 1999 through 2009.5Legislative Reference Library of Texas. Rick Noriega, Member Information His committee work focused on military affairs, social services, and appropriations.
The Texas Dream Act
His signature legislative accomplishment was House Bill 1403, the Texas Dream Act, which he authored during the 77th Legislature in 2001. The law allowed students who grew up in Texas and graduated from a Texas high school to qualify for in-state college tuition rates if they submitted an affidavit pledging to seek permanent residency once eligible. The bill passed the House 130 to 2, with 63 Republicans voting yes, and Governor Rick Perry signed it on June 16, 2001.6Texas Legislature Online. HB 1403 Bill History – 77th Legislature He co-authored the bill with Representatives Domingo García, Fred Hill, Elvira Reyna, and Ismael Flores; Senator Leticia Van de Putte sponsored it in the Senate.7Texas State Historical Association. Texas Dream Act, House Bill 1403
The 2003 Walkout
In 2003, Noriega helped organize the walkout of more than 50 Democratic House members to Ardmore, Oklahoma, aimed at breaking quorum to block a congressional redistricting plan pushed by U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. House Democratic Caucus leader Jim Dunnam had tapped Noriega to poll members and manage floor debates, and he worked with small groups of Democrats to secure their commitment to leave.8Texas Observer. Remember the Holiday Inn
Military Service
Noriega joined the National Guard and Army Reserves in 1980 and rose through the ranks of the Texas Army National Guard, eventually retiring as a major general.9Aspen Institute. Richard Noriega He graduated from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and completed a U.S. Army War College Fellowship at the University of Texas.
He was called to active duty the Wednesday after Memorial Day 2004 and deployed to Afghanistan with Operation Enduring Freedom, serving as deputy commander at a base camp near the Kabul Military Training Center.10Texas Monthly. Duty Calls His tour ended August 26, 2005. During the deployment, he was sworn in absentia for the 79th Legislature on January 11, 2005, and designated his wife, Melissa Noriega, as his temporary acting representative under House Resolution 6.11Legislative Reference Library of Texas. Melissa Noriega, Member Information She filled the seat through August 27, 2005, covering the regular session and two special sessions on school finance.
In 2006, Noriega volunteered for Operation Jump Start, President George W. Bush’s deployment of National Guard troops to support the U.S. Border Patrol. He commanded the Laredo sector, and later called the mission “driven by politics, not policy.”12Texas Observer. Boots on the Ground
The 2008 Senate Race
Noriega won the 2008 Texas Democratic primary for U.S. Senate without a runoff and faced two-term Republican incumbent John Cornyn in the general election.13Texas Monthly. You’re Rick Noriega. Do You Approve This Message? He campaigned on the economy, the Iraq War, health care, and immigration, opposing a physical border fence and advocating a guest-worker program.
Money defined the race. By early 2008, Cornyn had nearly $8.7 million on hand to Noriega’s $329,000, and by July the gap had Cornyn at $9 million against less than $1 million for Noriega.14Texarkana Gazette. Noriega Tries to Dodge Technical Difficulties in Senate Race On Election Day, Cornyn won with 4,337,469 votes (about 55 percent) to Noriega’s 3,389,365 (about 43 percent). Libertarian Yvonne Adams Schick took the remaining 2 percent.15Texas Secretary of State. Election History
After the Legislature
Noriega became CEO of Ronald McDonald House Houston in July 2017.16Texas Medical Center. Major General Rick Noriega Leads Ronald McDonald House Houston to Greater Impact He oversaw a three-phase expansion of the organization’s Holcombe House facility, adding a 20-bedroom tower to the existing 50-bedroom building. The capital campaign had raised $18 million toward its $22.5 million goal by the September 2017 groundbreaking.17Houston Chronicle. Ronald McDonald House Houston Holds Groundbreaking He left the role on July 3, 2020, taking the Harris County IT position shortly after.18ProPublica. Ronald McDonald House Charities Greater Houston Inc – Nonprofit Explorer
In January 2025, Houston Mayor John Whitmire nominated Noriega to Position Four on the Board of Directors of Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone Number Twenty-Three, the Harrisburg Zone, and the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority, for a term expiring December 31, 2026.19City of Houston. Nomination of Richard J. (Rick) Noriega to Harrisburg Zone Board