Magnandonovan v City of Los Angeles

A former city prosecutor who said she was retaliated against and ultimately fired for reporting misconduct by other attorneys in the office of City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo has been awarded more than $1.5 million.

Lynn Magnandonovan, 55, a 13-year-employee of the city attorney’s office, had been named as head of a new hate crimes unit which was part of a previous gender-discrimination lawsuit she had filed against the city in 1999 which alleged that the city attorney’s office allowed an “an environmental offensive and hostile to females”. She says Delgadillo, now a candidate for state attorney general, retaliated against her and placed her first on administrative leave in December 2001 and then fired her in 2002.

Although she was appointed to the new hate crimes position as part of the settlement in the discrimination case, she said that her supervisors refused to allow her to carry out the duties of the office or even attend supervisors’ meetings.

In addition to the jury’s award, the city has been order to pay over 2.5 million in attorney's fees and costs.
Delgadillo and the city had claimed he was justified in firing her because she was difficult and abrasive and had angered some Superior Court judges.

One of her attorneys, Samuel J. Wells, said the verdict was an “indictment of the city attorney’s office. The jury didn’t believe the city witnesses when they said they didn’t retaliate against this woman”.

Defendant is currently appealing.