A California police officer has settled a lawsuit against his employer for $50,000. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy says he faced workplace discrimination because of his religious views after arresting the actor Mel Gibson for driving under the influence in 2006.
The deputy said that his superiors in the department told him to remove anti-Semitic remarks from his police report about the DUI incident. He then faced negative performance reviews, an accusation the department denies.
Sometimes people are subject to workplace discrimination in Los Angeles because they are doing their job, but superiors ask them to do something that they might find unethical. In this case, the man was including details of Gibson’s behavior.
The deputy, who is Jewish, felt that he was being discriminated against, when he was denied promotion because of his action, providing a detailed report, that were probably within the description of his employment.
Many people face workplace discrimination but fear retaliation if they speak up to defend themselves. Retaliation against workers is illegal, and should not be tolerated in the workplace. Workplace discrimination sometimes results in lawsuits.
These lawsuits are often not meant to have financial motives, but are used to defend the principle that everyone deserves to be treated fairly by their employer. If someone feels they have been wrongly treated or discriminated against by their employer, they may be wise to speak with an attorney who is experienced in standing up for the rights of all workers. An attorney can help explain your rights in the workplace as well as help you understand what compensation you might be entitled to as a result of your employer’s actions.
Source: Washington Post, “Deputy who arrested Mel Gibson reaches settlement in workplace discrimination case,” Feb. 14, 2012