Los Angeles Sexual Assault Lawyer Blog

Officials with the Los Angeles Police Department are attempting to quell the fervor over a recent Inspector General audit indicating that the city had spent some $110 million in jury awards over the last six years, with nearly a third of those involving LAPD personnel.

Our Los Angeles Sexual Assault Lawyers understand that those cases involved allegations of discrimination, sexual harassment and retaliation.

The revelation of the scope of employment-related litigation at the agency has resulted in an inquiry by the police commission to determine why these figures are so high and what can be done.

The agency is also accused of overseeing a legal affairs department that routinely destroys case files, keeps lawsuit records that are inaccurate and incomplete and has no system in place designed to learn from prior mistakes.

Several weeks after that initial report was issued, the police department has responded to say that the report was out-of-date and that it has already taken effective measures to reduce its liability costs where disgruntled workers are concerned.

Chief Charlie Beck says that the Inspector General was analyzing cases that were closed between 2005 and 2012. However, he said all those allegations were first lodged prior to the fall of 2009, with some of them dating as far back as 1999.

Therefore, Beck said in a response letter to the commission, these were things that didn't happen on his watch. It was the previous administration, he said, that should be held responsible for the issues at hand.

Still, he said department leaders agree with some points of the audit, while countering a number of others.

In addition to the timeline dispute, the police chief also says that the agency doesn't store litigation records on past employment lawsuits because those files are maintained by the city attorney's office. He said there was no need for the police department to continue storing duplicate records, so they were destroyed. However, he contends they are still accessible at the city attorney's office.

Still, some of the police commissioners expressed concerns that files weren't maintained within the department, meaning they weren't accessible to internal personal as a reference. Other commissioners said it wasn't so much an issue of having duplicate copies as having a system in place that could help avoid risk of litigation in the future.

The police department's administrator, in responding to the police commission's inquiry, said that there had already been a steep decline in the amount of employee-related litigation. Eight cases have been filed so far this year, as compared to 31 lawsuits that were filed during fiscal year 2011-2012.

But the police commissioners want to see more action. They have directed the department to set up a meeting with the police unions to establish a mediation program. This would be a forum for disgruntled employees to have their cases heard prior to having them go to trial.

From a plaintiff attorney perspective, it may slow the litigation process to some extent. Alternatively, settlement agreements might be reached sooner.

Continue reading "LAPD Attempts to Defend Employment Litigation Record" »

Allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct have prompted the mayor of San Diego to announce that he would submit to two weeks of intensive behavioral therapy, but he has refused to step down from his seat.

Our Pasadena sexual harassment lawyers understand the 70-year-old mayor, who has been besieged in recent weeks by the allegations, called a news conference in which he apologized to his supporters, his staff, the city and "the women I have offended."

In all, seven women have accused the mayor publicly of sexual harassment. All of them, as well as the the San Diego County Democratic Party, are calling for him to resign from his post.

Instead, he talked about receiving therapy in seclusion, though he reiterated he intended to be briefed each morning and evening about what is happening with the city so that he can continue to make key decisions. He declined to name the treatment facility or explain who would be footing the bill.

To most, it seems like more of a holiday than punishment for harassment. The mayor seems to be living in some alternative reality if he thinks this will right all past alleged wrongs.

Here's what he -- and others who perpetuate this behavior -- need to understand: Sexual harassment is illegal. This is true regardless of whether the instigator admits to wrongdoing.

The mayor concedes he failed to respect women, and over the course of many years engaged in conduct that was intimidating, inexcusable and wrong. He rightly asserted that such actions have undermined what he has spent the bulk of his professional career working toward.

He acknowledged "inappropriate behavior," but insisted that it did not amount to sexual behavior.

Given his age, it's likely that when the mayor entered the workforce, he became acquainted with an atmosphere in which sexual harassment was much more common and, if not entirely accepted, at least tolerated to a degree.

That is no longer the case today, and a two-week hiatus and an apology is not going to be considered a just outcome.

Among some of the allegations being lodged:

• The mayor allegedly asked the one-time communications director to work without panties. He reportedly demanded kisses, told her he wanted to see her naked and dragged her in a headlock while whispering into her ear.


• Another woman said the mayor patted her buttocks.


• A former school psychologist reported that the mayor attempted to kiss her during a meeting regarding a child's welfare. The mayor reportedly told her that her eyes had "bewitched" him.


• The president of the city's Port Tenants Association alleged that, when the mayor was running for office, he had groped her.


• A businesswoman alleged the mayor put her in a headlock and attempted to kiss her. She turned and he slobbered all over her chin.


• The city's former chief operating officer reported the mayor ran his finger up her cheek and asked her if she had a man in her life.


• A dean at San Diego State University reported numerous interactions in which the mayor held her too close, kissed her inappropriately or put his hands on her knee in an inappropriate and uncomfortable fashion. She also reported he was generous with sexual innuendos during conversations.

Continue reading "Southern California Sexual Harassment Case Has Mayor in Hot Seat" »