Judge mulls fate of some of woman’s claims against Inglewood, mayor

LOS ANGELES — A justice said connected Monday, Sept. 20, that helium is inclined to trim portions of a lawsuit brought by a erstwhile woman and enforcement adjunct of Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. — successful which the pistillate sued the city, Butts and 2 different metropolis officials, alleging she was wrongfully fired successful 2019 and that the politician acted “every spot similar a Black Donald Trump.”

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Richard J. Burdge Jr. issued a tentative ruling dismissing Melanie McDade-Dickens’ causes of enactment for intersexual harassment, nonaccomplishment to analyse and forestall intersexual harassment and retaliation, but said helium wanted to analyse further however overmuch clip she had to record her lawsuit.

McDade-Dickens brought her ailment connected Jan. 25, and Mira Hashmall, an lawyer for Butts and the city, argued that the instrumentality astatine the clip gave the plaintiff lone 1 twelvemonth from July 2019 — erstwhile she received a right-to-sue announcement from the authorities Department of Fair Employment and Housing — to record suit.

Lawyers for the plaintiff support she had 3 years to bring the case.

The justice besides said helium is leaning toward allowing McDade-Dickens to amend her ailment to further reason that her assertion for negligent hiring, supervision and retention is not barred by authorities immunity.

The justice tentatively denied the defense’s requests to disregard her claims for harassment and favoritism and intentional infliction of affectional distress arsenic good arsenic a usurpation of the authorities Labor Code.

According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff’s allegations interest the “disturbing actions of a scorned lover, who besides happens to beryllium the politician of a burgeoning metropolis … who uses his superior powerfulness and power … to seduce a trusted metropolis employee, Melanie McDade-Dickens, to go romantically progressive with him.”

But aft McDade-Dickens ended what was described arsenic a consensual relationship, Butts, “acting each spot similar a Black Donald Trump, targeting those who situation to rebuke him,” conspired with metropolis Human Resources Director Jose Cortes and City Manager Artie Fields to ruin her vocation by retaliating against and yet firing the plaintiff from the occupation that she loved, the suit alleges.

McDade-Dickens met Butts successful 2010 and she volunteered to enactment connected his mayoral campaign, the suit states. He initially asked her to service arsenic his bureau manager, but helium was truthful impressed by her cognition and organizational accomplishment helium promoted her his interior ellipse of advisers arsenic portion of his strategy committee, the suit states.

After Butts was elected politician successful 2010, helium invited McDade-Dickens to beryllium his enforcement assistant.

“In the opening Butts is nurturing, loving and supportive, some personally and professionally,” according to the suit.

But the narration yet descended “into 1 of abuse, maltreatment of powerfulness and intersexual harassment,” the suit alleges.

Hashmall antecedently said the suit is “full of salacious fabrications, is simply a maneuver designed to gully attraction distant from Ms. McDade’s wrongdoing by smearing others. It volition not work.”

The metropolis fired McDade-Dickens aft allegations of fraud and transgression behaviour came to its attention, according to Hashmall.