A black female arson investigator is suing the city of Los Angeles for discrimination, retaliation and a “hostile work environment,” and she claims the Los Angeles Fire Department did nothing to stop her harassment.
Afara Lalaind, who filed her civil complaint Thursday at the Stanley Mosk courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, also claims her reputation “has been ruined” and her chances of advancement gone.
She is seeking damages of more than $25,000, including for lost income and benefits, as well as the anxiety and distress she says she suffered.
Calls and emails to Lalaind’s attorney and the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office were not immediately answered.
Lalaind, 39, a San Francisco Bay Area native, is a firefighter with the Los Angeles Fire Department. arson investigator and one of the first two women members of the board of directors of the Los Angeles County Stentoriansan association of African Americans in the fire service.
Lalaind served as a firefighter-paramedic for six years with the LAFD before requesting a transfer to Fire Station No. 57 in South Los Angeles in early 2022, according to the lawsuit.
She was the only female firefighter at the station and “expected she would be welcomed and treated with respect,” the lawsuit said.
On her first day, she was asked by fire station captain Michael Boutte to work alone on a fire truck with three people while the rest of the fire station watched, the lawsuit alleges. Lalaind also claims she was not given keys or standard operating instructions that day, as is customary for new employees.
The lawsuit alleges that Boutte “suffered from some form of gender discrimination” and treated Lalaind differently from her male counterparts.
Lalaind alleges that Boutte tried to prevent him from looking for another position at Fire Station No. 57 in the months following his arrival, favouring a temporary employee instead.
Lalaind eventually wrote to a fire chief about the position, leading Boutte to accuse him of “exceeding his qualifications,” the lawsuit says.
In April 2022, Boutte filed a complaint against Lalaind for allegedly “being rude to a member of the public” at a grocery store and purchasing alcohol while cooking, according to the lawsuit. Lalaind claimed in the lawsuit that she was entitled to progressive discipline before a formal complaint was filed.
In May, Lalaind said she was publicly reprimanded by a fire chief for “causing trouble” at the fire station. She responded by reporting the “hostile work environment” Boutte had created to two fire chiefs. Neither investigated her allegations or took any action, the lawsuit says.
From late May to June 2022, Lalaind said he changed shifts “due to the unbearable stress and anxiety caused by working alongside Captain Boutte,” the lawsuit says.
In August, Lalaind filed a formal complaint against Boutte, accusing him of creating a hostile work environment because of his gender.
Lalaind again claimed the ministry failed to properly review his requests and allowed Boutte to “intimidate witnesses.”
In October, the fire captain filed another complaint against Lalaind over scheduling issues and failure to follow an order, the lawsuit says.
Lalaind said she was granted a brief reprieve in October when she was temporarily transferred to Fire Station No. 46 near the South Figueroa Corridor. However, she was told she was restricted to certain firefighting equipment and vehicles and was given no explanation, the lawsuit says.
That month, the lawsuit says, she was placed on a performance improvement plan that was only rescinded in February 2023 because of a letter from the Stentorians regarding Lalaind’s treatment.
A key moment came in July 2023, when Lalaind claims another fire captain, Brandon Taulli, conducted an “illegal search” of his car, according to the lawsuit. Taulli alleged Lalaind had improperly stored a firearm.
Later that month, Lalaind and a group of other firefighters were subjected to training on firearm storage, which left her “even more humiliated.”
Taulli then filed his own lawsuit against the city, alleging retaliation, discrimination and damages over the incident. He claims in his complaint that since the search and filing of his report, he has been “harassed, discriminated against and retaliated against” by Lalaind and the fire department.
Taulli said “false and malicious statements” had been made against him regarding “illegal vehicle search, theft, blackmail, extortion, racism and sexism.”
Lalaind and Taulli are requesting a jury trial.
