LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A veteran Los Angeles police officer and the city reached a tentative settlement of her lawsuit alleging she was transferred to a graveyard shift in retaliation for asking for an extension of a leave to recover from neck and back injuries related to a difficult pregnancy.
Lawyers for Officer Tami Morrison filed court papers on Sept. 18 with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Maureen Duffy-Lewis stating that the case was resolved subject to approval by the City Council. No terms were divulged.
``After being transferred, Ms. Morrison's 20-year career and reputation plummeted,'' said Morrison's attorney, Matthew McNicholas.
Morrison sued in September 2015, alleging discrimination, failure to accommodate, harassment and retaliation for attempting to protect and secure her rights under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act.
Lawyers for the city denied any wrongdoing on the part of the city and stated that transferring an employee to a different work shift does not constitute harassment.
Morrison joined the LAPD in 1995 and was assigned in 2011 as an investigator with the Workers Compensation Fraud Unit within the Special Operations Division of the LAPD, according to her lawsuit.
Morrison was placed on ``injured-on-duty'' status for a neck injury in 2011 and medical maternity leave in 2013, according to her lawsuit. Upon returning to work from maternity leave, she was placed on light duty restrictions due to her disabilities, the suit stated.
Morrison completed a form asking to remain in the same unit, the suit stated. Although such requests were routinely granted, her extension was denied on grounds that she had had too much ``injured on duty'' time, the suit states.
Morrison was then forced to transfer out or face possible demotion, the suit stated. In September 2014, she was transferred to the 77th Street Division in South Los Angeles and given a graveyard shift, the suit stated.
The LAPD's alleged failure to accommodate Morrison's disabilities and interact with her caused her to suffer humiliation, embarrassment and anxiety, as well as losses in earning and employment benefits, her lawsuit alleged.