A 61-year-old former UCLA emergency department nurse has tentatively settled her lawsuit in which she alleged she was fired in 2021 as part of a backlash for speaking openly about patient care and employee work conditions.
Registered nurse Lisa Pettinelli was hired in June 2001 and worked in the UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center emergency department as a charge nurse, the suit stated. On Thursday, UC Regents filed court papers with Judge Kerry Bensinger notifying him of a “conditional” settlement in the case with the expectation that a request for dismissal will be filed by June 27.
No terms were revealed.
According to her suit, Pettinelli spoke out about the alleged lack of quality care being provided to emergency department patients, including inadequate staffing, violations of staffing ratios and the hiring of inadequately trained or unqualified staff. She also was vocal about an alleged lack of medically needed supplies and materials and her concerns about coronavirus safety protocol, the suit stated.
Pettinelli contended that management had a history of retaliating against those who brought complaints or concerns forward, which she maintained discouraged employees from coming forward about such issues and caused those problems to escalate instead of being reduced.
“These disclosures included that management was known to bully, intimidate and retaliate against those who spoke up or raised concerns that were counter to management’s agenda, but also that management showed favoritism to those who did not speak up against management’s agenda,” the suit filed in May 2023 stated.
Less-outspoken employees received preferential scheduling on vacation times, the suit stated.
Management’s alleged bullying, retaliation and intimidation reached such levels that Pettinelli and others said it impacted morale in the emergency department so severely that patient care was affected, the suit stated.
Pettinelli signed petitions stating that the policies, procedures, practices and conduct of the Emergency Department’s leadership perpetuated an unsafe, unjust culture, the suit stated.
“When management learned of the petitions, it expressly promised retaliation against those who supported the complaints,” according to the suit, which also stated that Pettinelli participated in public protests regarding patient safety concerns and employee working conditions.
Management refused to improve the work atmosphere and allegedly took aim at the plaintiff with adverse decisions affecting her schedule, work hours, time off, compensation, her removal from charge nurse duties and her eventual October 2021 firing, the suit stated.
In earlier court papers, the regents’ attorneys state that Pettinelli’s causes of action were barred wholly or in part by both the statute of limitations and because any action taken concerning the plaintiff was justified, done in good faith and for legitimate reasons.