Jury awards $8.1M to LA deputy in retaliation lawsuit

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A jury has awarded $8.1 million to a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who claimed he suffered retaliation and harassment from his supervisors after he complained about their alleged misconduct.

The Los Angeles Times reports the jury found Friday that Andrew Rodriguez faced “severe and pervasive” harassment,

The Sheriff’s Department says in a statement it is “disappointed” in the verdict and will “vigorously appeal” the decision. Authorities have denied the allegations.

Rodriguez alleged that the retaliation began in 2014 after he reported his field training officer told him to lie on a report. He has been on medical leave since 2016 and testified he would not feel safe to return to his job.

Lawyers for Los Angeles County had said Rodriguez was investigated for several departmental policy violations.

___

Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com/