Appellate Court Overturns $6.2M Verdict against Los Angeles Over Discrimination Suit

February 19, 2010

Los Angeles - A California appellate court has recently reversed an initial jury decision asking the city to pay $6.2 million damages to a lesbian firefighter who accused the Los Angeles Fire Department of tolerating discriminatory practices.

In a new court decision, Brenda Lee will not receive the award after she has failed to pursue all administrative remedies when she was terminated in 2005.

Lee has alleged that the fire department discriminated against her for being black and for having a different sexual orientation.

She also claimed that her supervisors refused to transfer her to a different department after complaining about experiencing discrimination and harassment from her coworkers.

According to Lee’s lawsuit, her superiors called her derogatory names and put her to grueling drills without safety precautions.

In 2007, the jury asked the city to pay Lee with $6.2 million damages, the largest verdict on discrimination and retaliation charges filed against the city’s fire department.

According to reports, Los Angeles has paid more than $15 million over discrimination and retaliation lawsuits since 2005.

Recently, Fire Chief William Bamattre was forced into an early retirement after several groups accused him of failing to address the harassment and discrimination issues in his department.