You Can Still File a Lawsuit About On-the-Job Harassment After You Retire

Being a police helicopter pilot sounds like an awesome job.  It almost sounds like the response that fourth graders would give if you asked them to think of the most fun job they could imagine.  Jobs that are so much fun that even people who have never been in the workforce would gladly leave behind their leisurely existence to engage in them are not easy to find.  A hostile work environment at a job you love is at least as bad as a hostile work environment at a job you never cared for in the first place.  It is not easy to walk away from your career because some of your coworkers treat you disrespectfully.  It also isn’t easy to live with harassment and bullying at work, even if your job pays well and provides the opportunity to do meaningful work.  If you stayed at your job until retirement, despite the discriminatory behavior that you experienced, you are not the only one, and if you have only recently retired, there is still time to contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) or the California Civil Rights Department about an employment discrimination claim.  If you are ready to speak up about the racial harassment you experienced throughout your long career, contact a Los Angeles discrimination and harassment lawyer.

Helicopter Pilot Sues Police Department Immediately After Retiring

In 2019, a helicopter pilot retired from his job with a police department in California.  He was the only African-American helicopter pilot in the police department’s history.  Several days later, the chief of police received an employment discrimination complaint from the plaintiff, alleging racial discrimination from several long-time colleagues.

The plaintiff claims that his coworkers would refer to him by racial slurs and offensive nicknames.  Another pilot for the same police department, who has the same first name as the plaintiff, would consistently call him, “Black [First Name]” instead of, for example, calling him by his first name and last initial or first name and last name.  Coworkers would also make offensive jokes, such as by posting cartoons with racist caricatures near the plaintiff’s desk.  On one occasion, a coworker left a banana peel on the plaintiff’s car.

The plaintiff voiced his objections to his coworkers, but he did not quit his job, nor did he attempt to get the police department to bring disciplinary action against his coworkers for their behavior toward him.  When asked why, the plaintiff told Spectrum News 1 that he was in “survival mode,” focusing on doing his job well so that he could retire in good standing, which he eventually did.  He said that his main motivation for filing the lawsuit is so that other officers do not have to endure the same mistreatment that he endured.

Speak With a Los Angeles Employment Discrimination Lawyer

A Los Angeles employment discrimination lawyer can help you if you tolerate racial harassment on the job but cannot stand the thought of the younger generation going through the same thing.  Contact Litigation, P.C. in Los Angeles, California to discuss your situation or call (424)284-2401.

Source:

spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-west/public-safety/2022/02/17/long-beach-police-department-pilot-alleges-racial-discrimination-on-the-job