A lawsuit accusing the La Habra Heights Fire Department of religious discrimination and sexual harassment, has been settled. Former volunteer firefighter Jared Hartstein filed the suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court in 2016, accusing the department of terrorizing him throughout his five months of training.
Hartstein claims his colleagues referred to him as “Bear Jew”; made fun of his Jewish heritage; drew swastikas on his papers; gave him a Nazi salutes; turned off his SCBA during an entanglement drill; required him to perform a rap song to complete one of his presentation proficiencies; asked him if he was gay; called him “Blower Boy”; and otherwise humiliated him to the point he suffered PTSD. He resigned in December, 2015.
According to the court file, the case was close to coming to trial when the settlement was reached. The terms of the settlement are not available.
Attached is a copy of the settlement agreement:
Here is the original complaint.