CHP calls for retrial in case of civil servant for discrimination against single mother

The attorney general's office claims there was a miscarriage of justice when it requested a retrial of a lawsuit awarding $2.15 million to a veteran California Highway Patrol lieutenant commander who was accused of wrongfully denying promotions in favor of less qualified candidates.

Lt. Laura Hill's Los Angeles Superior Court had originally charged her with gender discrimination. Shortly before trial, however, Judge Stephanie M. Bowick changed the plea to discrimination against single mothers. In court documents submitted to Bowick on August 2, the Attorney General's Office insisted that this decision was legally wrong and damaging to her case. The verdict was handed down by a jury on June 5.

“The CHP was significantly disadvantaged by the court's decision to convert the case from a case of gender discrimination to a case of discrimination against single mothers on the eve of the trial,” the Attorney General's Office said in its statement.

The ruling placed Hill “in a category one” and “the repeated reference to the plaintiff as a single mother further resulted in inherent sympathy for the plaintiff and undue bias against the CHP,” the attorney general’s office said in court documents.

“In addition, the evidence at trial established that plaintiff was not, in fact, a single mother and that the theory was not a proper subject of administrative exhaustion because it was not mentioned in plaintiff's administrative complaint to the Department of Fair Employment and Housing,” the Attorney General's office further argues in its court filings.

Despite the verdict, the Attorney General's Office is seeking a ruling in favor of the CHP. A hearing on both motions is scheduled for September 16.

Hill graduated from the CHP academy in 2002 and was promoted to sergeant seven years later and lieutenant in 2015, the lawsuit states. At the time her lawsuit was filed in May 2020, she was a lieutenant commander at the Castaic Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Facility, the lawsuit states.

Hill also received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Cal State Fullerton in 1998, has received several awards and has extensive professional training, the lawsuit states.

In a previous position, Hill served as a lieutenant in the investigative unit, where she supervised five sergeants and 30 officers, the lawsuit says.

In April 2018, she applied for a promotion to captain, the lawsuit says. She placed 15th out of 73 candidates and was the top candidate in the Southern Division, which includes Los Angeles County, the lawsuit says.

In May 2018, she received a call from a chief and assistant chief congratulating her on her appointment, the lawsuit says. The chief then asked her where she lived. When she answered “Valencia,” the chief said, “Because, as you know, we take that into account when making decisions about these orders,” the lawsuit says.

Hill found the boss's statement “odd” because many captains do not live near their place of work and candidates are free to decide whether they are willing to work in a particular area, the lawsuit says.

A month later, Hill applied for the position of captain in the West Los Angeles area, but the job was given to a male applicant who scored 34 places lower, the lawsuit says.

In January 2019, she applied for a position in the West Valley Command. Four months later, the job was awarded to a male applicant who was 26 places lower, the lawsuit says.

In a discussion about her performance, a boss told Hill “she should have addressed her use of social media during her interview,” the lawsuit says.

Hill then met with a supervisor to discuss work-related matters and asked for advice on how to improve her chances of advancement, the lawsuit says. He responded that “she was doing a great job and should continue to apply for positions,” the lawsuit says.

In October 2019, Hill applied for the position at Central Los Angeles Command, but the job went to a male applicant 35 spots below her, the lawsuit says.

During a conversation with a boss, he asked her: “How can you, as a single mother, be available as a commander?”, the lawsuit states. She replied that she was already on call in her current position and had made arrangements for her daughter just in case.

CHP calls for retrial in case of civil servant for discrimination against single mother

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CHP calls for retrial in case of civil servant for discrimination against single mother

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