L.A. Fire Department Settles EEOC Harassment & Retaliation Case for Nearly $500,000
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- Published on Wednesday, 01 February 2012 21:52
The Los Angeles City Fire Department has reached a settlement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in the amount of $494,150, for alleged sexual and religious harassment and retaliation. Anthony Almeida, a firefighter/engineer employed since 1986 with the Los Angeles City Fire Department, filed a discrimination charge with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), in 2007, alleging harassment by fellow firefighters who continually made offensive comments of a sexual and religious nature. The EEOC investigation revealed that once Almeida’s co-workers learned of his lawsuit filed against the Catholic Church alleging that Almeida had suffered sexual abuse by a priest, several of his coworkers allegedly began mocking him, using explicit and offensive religious and sexual epithets. Almeida complained about the harassment to management officials, but the Fire Department allegedly failed to adequately halt or address it. Further, the EEOC alleged that Almeida had suffered retaliatory discipline for his participation in another equal employment opportunity investigation. Following a determination by the EEOC that there was reasonable cause to believe a violation of law occurred, the Los Angeles City Fire Department entered into a three-year conciliation agreement with the EEOC and Almeida, who was represented by private counsel. Aside from the monetary relief, the Fire Department agreed to provide widespread live anti-harassment training to all fire station chiefs and their subordinate staff, impacting every fire station in the city of Los Angeles and to publicize the settlement via a press release, among other injunctive relief Olophius Perry, district director for the EEOC’s Los Angeles District Office stated, “by working with the EEOC this way, the Department is sending a message that no further civil rights abuses will be tolerated -- a key responsibility of all employers.” Read more.