A former senior water biologist for the Los Angeles Sanitation Department has tentatively settled his lawsuit against the city in which he alleged he was forced to resign in 2023 after he experienced retaliation for testifying on behalf of plaintiffs suing the city.
Plaintiff Curtis Cash contended in his Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit that the backlash included the removal of his supervisory duties and a cutoff from his work team, leaving him with little work to do.
Cash’s lawyers filed court papers on Friday with Judge Daniel Murphy informing him of a “conditional” accord in the case with the expectation a request for dismissal will be brought by Nov. 14.
No terms were divulged.
In their court papers, lawyers for the City Attorney’s Office denied Cash’s allegations, contended that the city was immune from his claims and that any actions taken concerning the plaintiff were for “legitimate business reasons.”
Cash testified about a 2021 sewage spill caused by an equipment breakdown at the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant.
Prior to his testimony, Cash had every other Friday off even though he actually worked hundreds of hours of overtime per year for nearly 20 years, the suit states. The involuntary reduction in Cash’s hours caused him a substantial loss of income and also increased his benefit costs, according to the suit.
Prior to his issues with management, Cash managed the maintenance and scheduling of three city boats, among other tasks, and was a supervisor for 16 years out of 20 years of employment.
Cash was medically uninsured at the time he filed his suit in March 2023, according to the complaint. Although Cash suffered stress and anxiety and sought psychological treatment, he had to stop that care due to the uncertainty of his medical insurance coverage and reduction in income, the suit stated.