Several Los Angeles Fire Department employees can proceed with their lawsuit against the city, to prove that their ethnicity caused reported discrimination, harassment and retaliation, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Reginald Roberts, an attorney for the city, had argued that the case should be dismissed, because he said the plaintiffs had not provided enough details in their complaint to support their allegations.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maureen Duffy-Lewis disagreed and ruled the entire case can move forward.
All of the plaintiffs are members of the LAFD’s Fire Prevention Bureau. Gary Carpenter, Andre Johnson, David Riles and Aaron Walker are black, and both Glenn Martinez and Patricia Ramirez are Latinos.
“The LAFD is essentially an all-white boys club, and anyone who fails to align themselves with this mentality is looked down upon and treated differently,” the lawsuit alleges.
According to their court papers, black and female firefighters in the bureau were branded by other department employees as “lazy and afraid” to fight fires.