California FD sued for Sexual Harassment

A California fire department is facing a sexual harassment suit filed by a female firefighter who claims that she was driven from the department due to a hostile workplace.

Andrea Waters filed suit against the City of Petaluma alleging she was subjected to a hostile work environment, discrimination, and retaliation. Waters, who was hired in 2008, resigned on May 23, 2014, sparking news articles that publically revealed some of her allegations.

The complaint [which I have yet to personally review] claims Waters was:

  • treated as a second-class citizen
  • denied training opportunities available to male firefighters
  • held to different standards than male firefighters
  • singled out and criticized for her performance
  • hyper-scrutinized to the point that criticisms about her performance were fabricated
  • subjected to living conditions in the fire house that lacked basic privacy permitting male firefighter to observe her in states of undress
  • subjected to inappropriate comments from the male firefighters who observed her undressed
  • denied the opportunity to trade work shifts due to the living conditions and lack of privacy
  • subjected to retaliation when she complained about the harassment

The suit was filed in Sonoma County Superior Court. Waters is seeking damages for humiliation, mental anguish, emotional and physical distress, and lost wages and benefits.

More on the story.

About Curt Varone

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.
x

Check Also

UK Parliament Questions Fire Service Leader on Institutional Racism Claim

As have many fire departments in the UK and Canada recently, the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority has been in the news relative to allegations of institutional racism and sexism. However, when questioned by Lee Anderson, a member of parliament, the chair of the Authority, Rebecca Knox, was unable to answer some relatively simple questions about the decision to label her organization “institutionally racist.”

Another Assisting Police Lawsuit in the News

A federal court in California has dismissed several counts in a lawsuit filed against the City of Richmond and American Medical Response West over the death of a man, but will otherwise allow the case to continue. The suit was brought by the family of Ivan Gutzalenko, who died on March 10, 2021.