Shegerian & Associates: Jury Awards Former Officer $1M In Disability Discrimination Suit Against LAPD

NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES, Aug. 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A Los Angeles jury has awarded an LAPD officer $1 million in damages following a disability discrimination claim against the City of Los Angeles. The suit, initially filed in 2009, saw a verdict on August 20, 2019. 

Malcolm Thomas was employed with the LAPD from 1997-2001, after which he took a position with the District Attorney's office. He returned to the LAPD in 2007 and has been with the force continuously since 2009, though on involuntary leave. 

In May 2008, Thomas injured his knee and lower back in a training exercise at the Ahmanson Recruitment Training Center. He was initially placed on work restrictions under doctors' orders. However, shortly thereafter, Thomas says he was pressured to violate his restrictions. 

In November 2008, Thomas made a written complaint to his commanding officer about the work environment and the stress he was being subjected to, namely that his co-workers not only ridiculed his injury, but his masculinity, and his inability to be a "team player."

Thomas was then removed from the work environment at the training academy, at which point Thomas claims the city cut his pay. Thomas then met with the Internal Affairs Bureau, and, within a few days, was contacted by the same commanding officer that he complained that he needed to turn in his badge and gun, stripping him of his police officer privileges. 

Anthony Nguyen of Los Angeles-based employee rights law firm Shegerian & Associates, and counsel for Thomas, has weighed in on the suit. 

"We are more than pleased by the outcome of this suit," Nguyen said. "Mr. Thomas held the LAPD to the standards by which they should have held themselves." 

About Shegerian & Associates:
Shegerian & Associates has won clients over $300 million in employment-based disputes and maintains a 98% success rate. We have offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside and New York. 

Media Contact:
Pace Public Relations
Kara Ryan
[email protected]

SOURCE Shegerian & Associates

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