A 61-year-old Black longtime Los Angeles County sheriff’s lieutenant is suing his employer, alleging he has repeatedly been denied a promotion to captain because of his ethnicity.
Lt. Michael A. White’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit alleges age and race discrimination as well as retaliation. He seeks unspecified damages.
“The racial and age glass ceiling that blocks the promotability of plaintiff and other African-American deputies must be broken now,” the suit states. “Plaintiff isn’t getting any whiter and he isn’t getting any younger.”
White was hired in 1987, was promoted to sergeant in 2007 and to lieutenant four years later, but he has been denied an elevation to captain eight times in the last 13 years, the suit states.
While a candidate for captain in 2016, White was made an acting captain at the Lomita Station, but a non-Black candidate was given the open captain position, according to the suit, which further states that the plaintiff was similarly passed over for a captain promotion at three stations in 2019 and all of those slots also were given to competitors who are not Black.
“Unless promoted to the rank of captain, plaintiff has no way to progress to higher positions within the department,” the suit states.
Numerous other deputies sworn with less tenure than White have been promoted or appointed to captain, commander, chief, assistant sheriff and undersheriff, according to the complaint.
Undersheriff April Tardy is only the second Black person to hold the position in the LASD’s 174-year history.
