Sheriff’s Lieutenant Sues Country For Discrimination

Workplace discrimination is illegal, and employers who actively discriminate against their employees could find themselves in serious legal trouble. At Rager & Yoon – Employment Lawyers, our qualified and experienced team is dedicated to helping victims of workplace discrimination secure the compensation they need. Here, our Los Angeles Workplace discrimination attorneys want to discuss a recent lawsuit that has been filed against the county sheriff’s department.

What Is Happening In This Case

A recent lawsuit has been filed against Los Angeles County by a female sheriff’s lieutenant who is alleging that she was denied promotions and then transferred to an inferior position as part of a campaign against her by her superiors.

The complaint brought by Lieutenant Jennifer Seetoo alleges that Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, in the year since he was elected, has repeatedly promoted his male friends and applied favorable standards to male employees over female employees.

Lieutenancy Seetoo is seeking unspecified damages on allegations of gender discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.

The lawsuit alleges that the Sheriff has “directed a vicious and cynical attack on one of the LAPD’s finest female lieutenants, blocking her from the opportunity to promote to captain, directing his executives to demote her twice, belittling her, planting spies to watch her work, criticizing her success and transferring her out of the jurisdiction where she served admirably and provided rare experience in responding to fires during the most critical part of fire season.”

The allegations in the lawsuit include the following:

• Seetoo was removed as an operations lieutenant and acting Captain despite an excellent record.
• Transferred to an inferior position because she was being “disruptive.”
• The Sheriff accused her of having an inappropriate relationship with a city manager.

Five days before Seetoo filed her lawsuit, she also lodged allegations of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation against Los Angeles County and the Sheriff’s Department with the state Department of Fair Employment and Housing.

This Type Of Discrimination Is Illegal

While we do not know the specifics of this case, and our firm is not handling the lawsuit, we do know that gender discrimination, harassment, and retaliation are illegal. Both state and federal laws prevent such behavior. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) says that sex discrimination involves treating someone unfavorably because of that person’s sex. This covers all aspects of employment, including:

• Hiring
• Firing
• Pay
• Job assignments
• Promotions
• Layoffs
• Training
• Fringe benefits
• Other employment conditions

Let our team Help You Get Through This

If you or somebody you care about has been discriminated against at work, please seek assistance from a skilled attorney today. At Rager & Yoon – Employment Lawyers, our dedicated and experienced team is ready to conduct an investigation into the allegations of discrimination in order to secure the compensation you need. This could include:

• Recovery of lost wages
• Reinstatement to your job
• Court costs and legal fees
• Coverage of counseling (if necessary)
• Pain and suffering damages
• Possible punitive damages against the employer

When you need a Los Angeles discrimination attorney, you can contact us by clicking here or calling us at 310-527-6994 for a free consultation.