Two male LAPD officers retaliated against for supporting female officer. $8.6M. Los Angeles County.
Summary
LAPD male officers who support female's sexual harassment complaints are themselves subjected to retaliation.
The Case
- Case Name: David Dooros, et al. v. City of Los Angeles
- Court and Case Number: Los Angeles Superior Court / BC 704417
- Date of Verdict or Judgment: Tuesday, May 21, 2019
- Date Action was Filed: Friday, August 26, 2016
- Type of Case: Employment
- Judge or Arbitrator(s): Hon. Yolanda Orozco
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Plaintiffs: David Dooros and Elliot Zibli
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Defendants: City of Los Angeles
- Type of Result: Jury Verdict
The Result
- Gross Verdict or Award: $8,632,743
- Net Verdict or Award: $8,632,743
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Economic Damages:
Dooros: $690,821
Zibli: $941,921
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Non-Economic Damages:
Dooros: $3,500.000
Zibli: $3,500,000
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Punitive Damages:
None.
- Trial or Arbitration Time: 10 days.
- Jury Deliberation Time: 2 1/2 hours.
- Jury Polls: 12-0
The Attorneys
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Attorney for the Plaintiff:
Law Offices of Gregory W. Smith by Gregory W. Smith and Diana Wang-Wells, Beverly Hills.
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Attorney for the Defendant:
Los Angeles City Attorney's Office by Dennis Kong and Kelly Welch, Los Angeles.
The Experts
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Plaintiff’s Medical Expert(s):
James Weagley, M.D., family medicine, Santa Clarita.
Rebecca Mealer, MFT, Valencia.
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Plaintiff's Technical Expert(s):
Karen Smith, economics, Pasadena
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Defendant's Technical Expert(s):
Thomas Neches, economics, Los Angeles.
Facts and Background
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Facts and Background:
Zibli and Dooros were veteran Los Angeles police officers assigned to the Gang and Narcotics Division. They were both bloodhound handlers. Karolin Clarke was also an LAPD officer and bloodhound handler.
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Plaintiff's Contentions:
That Clarke's supervisor, an LAPD sergeant, sexually harassed her. Clarke, Zibli and Dooros complained multiple times to their supervisors that Clarke was being harassed.
Instead of remedying the situation, LAPD sergeants, lieutenants and captains began a series of retaliatory acts against Clarke, Zibli and Dooros. All three bloodhound handlers were denied tactical cover teams, training, equipment and tactical weapons when searching for dangerous felons, putting their lives in jeopardy many times.
Ultimately, the stress of the hazardous searches disabled Zibli, a 29-year veteran and he was forced into retirement. The stress on Dooros caused him to develop hypertension and an enlarged heart resulting in his early retirement as well. Karolin Clarke settled her case for $1.6 million dollars and retired.
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Defendant's Contentions:
That plaintiffs were provided with adequate equipment and cover to conduct felony searches, and were resistant to supervision. Also, that plaintiffs made the sexual harassment complaints to get rid of their direct supervisor.
Injuries and Other Damages
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Physical Injuries claimed by Plaintiff:
Dooros: Hypertension and enlarged heart.
Zibli: PTSD, general anxiety disorder with panic attacks.
Demands and Offers
- Defendant Final Offer before Trial: $200,000 for each plaintiff - offer made one year prior to trial.