A man is suing the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and St. Anthony High School in Long Beach, alleging he was wrongfully fired as director of admissions and that his female supervisor openly favored having him replaced by a woman.
Aaron Bryant’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit allegations also include discrimination, harassment, retaliation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. He seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages in the suit filed Oct. 2.
An archdiocese spokeswoman said the organization does not comment on pending litigation regarding personnel issues.
Bryant was hired in August 2022 and contends that his supervisor complained that the position he held would be better served by a woman, according to the suit. He was once assigned to perform manual labor on campus with the facilities manager, a task unrelated to his job duties, the suit further states.
Bryant, believing the labor job was punitive and retaliatory, documented it as an alleged example of targeted and inappropriate treatment.
After his supervisor called him “weak” during an April 2024 conversation that left Bryant feeling degraded, the plaintiff complained to the principal, who did not investigate or provide guidance, according to the suit, which further states that Bryant similarly got no satisfaction after reaching out to the archdiocese’s regional superintendent.
That same month, Bryant’s supervisor told him he was too focused on enrollment and added, “You would understand if you were a woman,” the suit states. Bryant considered the comments “demeaning” and “gender-based” and that they were irrelevant to his responsibilities as admissions director, the suit further states.
In another confrontation, Bryant’s supervisor told him on March 14 of this year, “I am going to make your life hell until you quit. Men have no business in this type of role,” according to the suit, which also states that later in March, Bryant’s doctor placed him on an anxiety-related medical leave through April 30.
Bryant returned to work, but was fired on May 9 without cause, resulting in lost wages, damages to his reputation and severe emotional distress and embarrassment, the suit states.