BDG has secured another significant victory for the Los Angeles County Fire Department in a high-profile employment discrimination, retaliation, and harassment lawsuit.
BDG’s Michele Goldsmith and Michael Atkins successfully defended the Los Angeles County Fire Department in Johnnie McGee v. County of Los Angeles (Fire Department), in which a Fire Prevention Engineering Assistant (Plan Checker) alleged that he was subjected to racial and age discrimination and racial and age harassment after new supervisors were assigned to oversee his work. The plaintiff also claimed that once he reported discrimination and harassment, he was retaliated against. The plaintiff abandoned his claim for age discrimination and harassment during trial and it did not go to the jury.
The plaintiff claimed that the Los Angeles County Fire Department was substantially motivated by race and retaliation when he was placed on a Performance Improvement Plan, which resulted in his ultimate reduction to his former position as a Medium Truck Driver.
BDG successfully demonstrated that the Department’s employment decisions were based on legitimate, nondiscriminatory reasons supported by extensive documentation of the plaintiff’s performance while serving as a Fire Prevention Engineering Assistant. After considering the evidence, the jury rejected the plaintiff’s claims, including that he had been harassed based on his race, and returned a verdict in favor of the County of Los Angeles’ Fire Department.