Lawsuit

A Los Angeles County Superior Court jury on Monday rejected a lawsuit filed by a female Burbank police officer who claims she faced discrimination because of her pregnancy , and then retaliation when she complained, a city official said. The verdict came days after a judge threw out portions of the original lawsuit filed by Officer Cindy Guillen, including that she faced harassment based on her ethnicity and gender. Her attorney, Solomon Gresen, had sought up to $500,000 for pain and suffering, and $30,000 for lost wages due a lost assignment, but on Monday, the jury sided with the city, which painted Guillen in court as someone who holds grudges and was capitalizing on the Police Department's recent legal woes.

Karen S. Kim AIRPORT DISTRICT -- A request to reopen a dismissed lawsuit against Southwest Airlines was denied Wednesday by Judge Marilyn Hoffman in Los Angeles. Cynthia Luther, who weighs more than 300 pounds, filed suit against the airline in May when she was asked to buy a second seat on a flight from Reno to Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport. In her lawsuit, Luther alleges discrimination and harassment because of her size. Hoffman dismissed the lawsuit in December and upheld the dismissal Wednesday.

DOWNTOWN — A seventh member of the Burbank Police Department has filed a lawsuit against the city and members of the department in federal court, alleging that his civil rights were violated by a rogue group of cops who used intimidation, harassment and brutality to keep him and witnesses from talking about several misconduct investigations. Burbank Police Det. Angelo Dahlia alleges that high-ranking members of the department investigating the 2007 robbery of Porto’s Bakery assaulted and beat witnesses and suspects “under the color of authority,” according to the lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. Central District Court.

Laura Sturza LOS ANGELES -- Activists filed a lawsuit against the city of Burbank in federal court, saying the city did not meet environmental operating guidelines. "It's our position that they have failed to reduce pollution as required by federal law," attorney J. Scott Kuhn said of the lawsuit filed Monday. Communities for a Better Environment and Our Children's Earth Foundation claim the city and nine other defendants did not meet standards set by the Air Quality Management District.

Laura Sturza CIVIC CENTER -- In a special closed session Friday, Burbank City Council members hashed out a possible course of action regarding the city's lawsuit against the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, with no reportable results. The meeting, which lasted four and a half hours, was slated for a discussion on how and whether to find a way to provide legal defense for Measure A proponents and to attempt to reach a consensus on the complaint, officials said.

GLENDALE — The serving of a lawsuit against state Sen. Carol Liu’s district director at her workplace last week was nothing more than a “bigoted publicity stunt,” the Council of American-Islamic Relations said Monday. Tahra Goraya, a former national director for the council, was served with the suit in her Glendale office. The federal lawsuit, filed in Washington, D.C., claims the Council of American-Islamic Relations allowed a manager to claim he was an attorney and provide bogus legal advice to the organization’s clients, costing at least one of them their job. Morris Days allegedly took money from those clients but did not file any claims on their behalf.

LOS ANGELES ? In publicly announcing a discrimination lawsuit Monday against the Burbank Police Department, the attorney representing one lieutenant and four police officers took Police Chief Tim Stehr to task for ordering his staff to stay silent on all internal matters. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges myriad sexual and racial discrimination incidents, and that complaints to the command staff were greeted with retaliation and lost promotions.

Defending the city against claims that former Burbank Deputy Chief of Police William Taylor was terminated after facing on-the-job retaliation from the department, attorneys this week called into question the reason for his lawsuit. Taylor alleges he was demoted, and then fired, for pushing for proper discipline in a sexual harassment incident and because he blocked the firing of minority police officers. But defense attorneys said in Los Angeles County Superior court that it wasn't until Taylor received notice to appear for an interview by an outside investigator concerning the robbery at a local bakery that he filed his lawsuit against the city.

Three local residents have filed a lawsuit against the city to stop a Walmart from opening in Burbank, alleging the city illegally cleared the way to issue building permits to the world's largest retailer without adequately investigating the store's environmental impact. After months of public outcry that included protests and opposition voiced at City Council meetings, Shanna Ingalsbee, Katherine Olson and Yvette Ziraldo filed the lawsuit Friday through their attorney, Gideon Kracov, who also represents United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 770. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleges that the city has yet to make street improvements that were required before building permits could be issued for any new businesses in, or adjacent to, the Empire Center, according to a resolution approved by the City Council in June 2000.

A Los Angeles County Superior Court jury on Monday rejected a lawsuit filed by a female Burbank police officer who claims she faced discrimination because of her pregnancy , and then retaliation when she complained, a city official said. The verdict came days after a judge threw out portions of the original lawsuit filed by Officer Cindy Guillen, including that she faced harassment based on her ethnicity and gender. Her attorney, Solomon Gresen, had sought up to $500,000 for pain and suffering, and $30,000 for lost wages due a lost assignment, but on Monday, the jury sided with the city, which painted Guillen in court as someone who holds grudges and was capitalizing on the Police Department's recent legal woes.

Closing arguments wrapped up Friday afternoon for a lawsuit filed by a female police officer, who claims she faced discrimination and harassment because of her pregnancy, and retaliation when she complained. On Thursday, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge told jurors they could not consider other claims made by Officer Cindy Guillen in the lawsuit, including that she faced harassment based on her ethnicity and gender. Jurors will decide whether Guillen should be awarded up to $500,000 for pain and suffering, and up to $30,000 for lost wages due to allegedly being taken off an assignment in retaliation for lodging a complaint.

Three local residents have filed a lawsuit against the city to stop a Walmart from opening in Burbank, alleging the city illegally cleared the way to issue building permits to the world's largest retailer without adequately investigating the store's environmental impact. After months of public outcry that included protests and opposition voiced at City Council meetings, Shanna Ingalsbee, Katherine Olson and Yvette Ziraldo filed the lawsuit Friday through their attorney, Gideon Kracov, who also represents United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 770. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleges that the city has yet to make street improvements that were required before building permits could be issued for any new businesses in, or adjacent to, the Empire Center, according to a resolution approved by the City Council in June 2000.

Burbank Police Officer Cindy Guillen didn't want to file a lawsuit, her lawyer told jurors Monday, but was forced to do so after complaints of gender and ethnic harassment within the department were ignored. In his opening statements in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Solomon Gresen promised to tell Guillen's full story, from her humble beginnings to fulfilling her dream of becoming a police officer in Burbank. Gresen described Guillen as an “outstanding police officer.” “There is no question about the caliber of her work,” Gresen said, adding that Guillen serves as the public information officer to the Spanish-speaking community.

The trial for a lawsuit filed by Burbank Police Officer Cindy Guillen - who is alleging racial and ethnic discrimination, in addition to harassment due to her marital status and pregnancy - is expected to start next week after attorneys wrapped up jury selection Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Guillen, who is Latino, also alleged in her lawsuit filed in 2009 that when she complained to commanders, she faced retaliation - echoing claims filed by other former and current officers who have sued the Police Department.

With the first of a slew of lawsuits filed by current and former police officers against the city now concluded, Interim Police Chief Scott LaChasse this week acknowledged that a few in the ranks were not pleased with attempts to diversify the department. Following a Los Angeles County Superior Court jury's decision this week to award nearly $1.3 million to the former deputy chief, William Taylor, based on claims of being fired in retaliation for pushing for internal reforms and accountability measures, LaChasse sent an email to all officers.

A jury this week sided with former Deputy Police Chief William Taylor to the tune of nearly $1.3 million, siding with his claims that he was fired in retaliation for refusing to sign off on the terminations of minority officers. In his 2009 lawsuit, Taylor also said he was retaliated against for raising concerns about how a sexual harassment incident was being handled. Late Monday afternoon, jurors awarded $1.29 million, with $250,000 of that awarded for pain and suffering, his attorney Gregory Smith said.

Defending the city against claims that former Burbank Deputy Chief of Police William Taylor was terminated after facing on-the-job retaliation from the department, attorneys this week called into question the reason for his lawsuit. Taylor alleges he was demoted, and then fired, for pushing for proper discipline in a sexual harassment incident and because he blocked the firing of minority police officers. But defense attorneys said in Los Angeles County Superior court that it wasn't until Taylor received notice to appear for an interview by an outside investigator concerning the robbery at a local bakery that he filed his lawsuit against the city.

As the police department pushes forward with layers of independent oversight and monitors to restore public confidence, yet another lawsuit involving a former police officer has been filed against the city. Former Burbank Police Det. Pete Allen has filed a lawsuit in federal court claiming he was fired in retaliation for participating in an internal misconduct investigation into the police response to the Porto's Bakery robbery in December 2007. Allen claims the city violated the California Whistleblower Protection Act after he provided information to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and FBI after they launched use-of-force probes into the department.