When you go to work each day, you have the right to a workplace that is free from discrimination and hostility. Unfortunately, there are far too many cases of illegal behaviors towards workers in the Los Angeles area. We are learning that the chief of Baldwin Park Unified School District Police Department has filed a lawsuit against the district, alleging discrimination due to her sexual orientation. At Rager & Yoon – Employment Lawyers, our Los Angeles workplace discrimination attorneys want to discuss this case as well as what you can do if you are discriminated against at work.
What is happening in this case?
The chief of the Baldwin Park Unified School District Police Department recently filed a lawsuit against the school district. Jill M. Poe has served as the chief of the district’s department since 2014. She filed her complaint in Los Angeles Superior Court and is alleging sexual orientation discrimination, hostile work environment, and retaliation.
Poe is seeking unspecified compensatory damages as well as punitive damages from the school district.
Poe, who is 51-years-old and gay, began as a patrol officer in 2006 and was named chief in 2014. However, in July, a local blogger wrote about an alleged criminal violation in Poe’s past (after he received a citation and tried to blackmail Poe). The San Gabriel Valley Tribune, using the blogger’s information and LA Superior Court records, reported that Poe, while an officer with the LAPD, was sentenced to three years of probation after pleading no contest to auto insurance fraud and filing a false police report.
When the news came out, Poe was suspended from her position. The lawsuit states that Poe was told she was “not being suspended or placed on leave as a result of any fault of her own and that there was nothing to investigate about her conduct,” yet she is still suspended.
Poe says that she did not reveal she was gay until after she was promoted to become chief and that she believes her sexual orientation is the reason she is being treated unfairly. She says that a heterosexual employee of the department accused her of sexually molesting children, but the employee still works for the department.
California has laws in place that protect workers from discrimination due to their sexual orientation. Often, cases of discrimination are wrapped up in other issues to cover them up, as may be the case in the story told here.
We can help you get through this today
If you or someone you know has been discriminated against in the workplace, please seek legal assistance immediately. Workplace discrimination is not always easy to pick up on, which is why the team at Rager & Yoon – Employment Lawyers is ready to investigate your case to uncover the truth. Our goal is to secure the compensation you deserve, including:
- Recovery of lost wages and benefits
- Reinstatement to your job if desired
- Court costs and legal fees
- Pain and suffering damages
- Possible punitive damages against the employer
When you need a Los Angeles workplace discrimination attorney, you can contact us by calling us at 310-527-6994 for a free consultation.