The Los Angeles Fire Department must pay almost $500,000 to settle a case filed on behalf of a male firefighter who was harassed by coworkers over a sexual abuse suit linked to the Catholic Church. Anthony Almeida, a firefighter and engineer with the department, filed a discrimination charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2007, alleging that he was continually harassed by fellow firefighters at his station. The alleged harassment began in 2006 after Almeida filed a lawsuit against the L.A. Archdiocese over sexual abuse.