Employee Complaints: Court Overturns $175,000 Verdict For Policemen Who Claimed Retaliation

Two white male Los Angeles police officers who claim they were transferred in retaliation for complaining about their African-American female supervisor, have lost a $175,000 verdict a jury had awarded them. The federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in overturning the verdict, acknowledged that racial and gender equity issues did arise in the officers’ complaints about their supervisor’s handling of officer misconduct claims and alleged preferential treatment of African-American officers. However, the court said the issues raised by the officers involved internal office matters that amounted to criticism of their boss’s management style. Their allegations undermined the supervisor’s authority because they directly challenged her decisions. The court ruled that the officers could not sue because the employer’s need to maintain workplace discipline outweighed their free-speech rights to criticize their boss.