Related to that case were two others, claiming retaliation for coming to the aid of the discriminated officer. Combined, the three cases cost the city $7 million.
This is just a selection of the 250 cases that have been filed against the city by LAPD officers since 2005, averaging nearly one lawsuit per week.
The rank-and-file officers union, Police Protective League, says that the spate of suits shows that the department’s leadership is unwilling to deal with the problems in the force, an allegation that the leadership denies.
From the Los Angeles Daily News:
Los Angeles paid out more than $18 million over five years to city police officers who filed lawsuits complaining of sexual harassment, racial discrimination, denied promotions and other workplace transgressions, according to a review of court records.
At least 17 officers won jury verdicts or settlements totaling at least $1 million, and dozens more officers received payments of five or six figures, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday. In September, a former officer who alleged discrimination was awarded $4 million.
From 2005 to 2010, officers sued the Los Angeles police department over workplace issues more than 250 times. In 45 of those cases, the city paid settlements that totaled more than $18 million and lost several other cases that are being appealed. The rest, representing tens of millions of dollars in potential liability, remain open.
Read the full article here.