Attorneys for a Black, queer former district teacher who alleges she was terminated in 2025 while on medical leave for a stroke have responded in court papers to a motion by Los Angeles Unified to dismiss the majority of the allegations in her lawsuit, saying the case should move forward.
Julie Annette Smith contends in her Los Angeles Superior Court complaint that her former school principal made inappropriate comments instead of taking appropriate steps after the plaintiff complained about workplace discrimination.
On Thursday, Smith’s attorneys filed court papers with Judge Nicholas F. Daum in advance of a May 20 hearing stating that five of Smith’s eight causes of action should not be dismissed as requested by the district, including two for retaliation as well as those for alleged failure to accommodate and engage in the interactive process. The LAUSD lawyers maintain that Smith’s attorneys have not fixed previous problems with the original lawsuit prior to the filing of a revised version.
“After months of racial, age-based, and sex-based harassment that her principal refused to address … Smith suffered a stress-induced stroke on June 3, 2024 and went on protected medical leave,” the plaintiff’s lawyers state in their pleadings.
Eight months later, the district told smith for the first time that it had terminated her employment effective June 1, 2024, “conveniently two days before her stroke and her (family leave) request,” according to Smith’s attorneys’ court papers.
According to her suit, Smith was hired as a substitute teacher in March 2017 and then given a full-time position in 2022 working with special-needs students. She was assigned in 2023 to the 75th Street Early Education Center.
Shortly after being hired, other teachers began asking Smith if she was married, to which she replied that she was not, the suit states. Although at that time she did not tell anyone that her sexual orientation was queer, her preference was somehow discovered and her principal as well as an aide commented that the plaintiff “just wants to be the latest topic” and referred to her as “weird” or “strange,” the suit alleges.
In August 2023, Smith reported that her own classroom aide, a man in his 30s, was confrontational and insubordinate and often left without permission, leaving the plaintiff without a chance to take her rest breaks, according to the suit, which further states that her principal did nothing to correct the problem.
Smith’s aide once told her, “These (lessons) are terrible because you are a woman,” the suit filed last July 24 states.
During an arts and crafts activity, children accidentally spilled rice on the floor and one of the aides looked at Smith and said, “Oh, we’re just going to make her old (posterior) pick it up,” according to the suit, which further states the plaintiff considered the comment ageist.
Yet another aide once told Smith, “I’m going to kick your old Black (posterior),” the suit states while also stating that her principal once again did nothing to help her when she reported it and instead said, “You are going too slow with this group.”
The lack of action by the principal only made one of the aides’ actions toward Smith more aggressive, contributing to a hostile work environment, the suit states.
Smith had a stroke in June 2024 and went on medical leave and that same month was suddenly stripped of her access to LAUSD work systems and her work email, the suit states. When she inquired about her employment status, human resources told her she was terminated, according to her complaint.