A Los Angeles police sergeant has tentatively settled her suit against the city in which she alleged that after being injured on the job she was harassed and discriminated against by a supervisor.
Sgt. Bridget Pickett’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit alleged discrimination, retaliation, harassment and failure to take steps to prevent discrimination, harassment and retaliation. On Tuesday, Pickett’s attorneys filed court papers with Judge Rupert A. Byrdsong notifying him of a tentative resolution of the case that is subject to final approval by the City Council. No terms were revealed.
In their previous court papers, lawyers for the City Attorney’s Office denied Pickett’s allegations and contended they were barred by the statute of limitations and by immunity granted to the city.
In her lawsuit filed in March 2021, Pickett contended that for more than three years leading up to that time she and other officers with disabilities were subjected to a hostile work environment created by her supervisor, Cmdr. Anne Clark, who the plaintiff said made it clear that she frowned upon officers who took leave for on-duty injuries.
In December 2017, Pickett told Clark she was going to have surgery on one of her feet for an on-duty injury, prompting Clark to react with “disappointment,” the suit stated.
A month later, when Pickett told Clark she needed a second surgery on the same foot due to a loose screw, Clark replied, “Are you kidding me?” the suit alleged.
Clark then stopped talking to Pickett and left her out of the supervisor’s email communications list, the suit stated.
In June 2018, when Pickett tried to pick up a box to assist a female officer, Clark said, “You better not pick that up. I don’t want you going off work again,” according to the suit.
Clark later harassed Pickett by accusing her of not paying for use of a parking space and downgraded her to a lower-ranking sergeant, the suit alleged.
In May 2019, an LAPD captain alleged further retaliation removed Pickett as the acting assistant watch commander and initiated a complaint against her alleging she failed to render aid during a shooting in Harbor Division, even though she was transporting a civilian observer that evening, the suit stated.
In August 2019, the captain stripped Pickett of all supervisory duties, reassigned the sergeant to desk duty, forbade her from supervising any employees and said she could not work overtime shifts, the suit stated.
Pickett’s doctor placed her on medical stress leave in September 2019 and her workers compensation claim was denied four months later, the suit stated. In addition, Pickett was placed on leave in December 2019 pending surgery for another work injury, the suit stated.