Cop awarded $1.8 million

City Council approves a reduced judgment to officer who alleged sexual harassment.

Los Angeles City Council approves a reduced judgment for an officer who alleged sexual harassment by her supervisor.

A Los Angeles police officer who accused an internal affairs lieutenant of sexual harassment and ordering surveillance of her when she rejected his advances will receive $1.8 million from the city.

The City Council affirmed the payment for Officer Linda Allstot on Wednesday, ending a legal battle that began in 2015, court records show.

Allstot had accused Lt. Wayne Lightfoot of making unwanted sexual advances, inappropriately touching her and making disparaging remarks about the appearance of other women repeatedly while he was her supervisor in the LAPD’s Professional Standards Bureau from 2013 to 2015, according to her civil lawsuit.

Lightfoot also allegedly invited Allstot on vacations to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and Lake Havasu, Ariz.

During those conversations, “his eyes traveled up and down from [Allstot’s] face to her breasts,” according to the lawsuit. He also “looked up and down her body in a sexual manner” when they passed each other in hallways or spoke in his office.

Allstot also accused Lightfoot and others of retaliating against her by making false complaints about her job performance. The lieutenant also had other officers follow her to try to obtain evidence of wrongdoing, the lawsuit said.

Allstot eventually filed a complaint with Deputy Chief Debra McCarthy, but nothing was done, the lawsuit said.

This year, a jury awarded Allstot $3 million in damages. But the city filed a motion in June seeking a reduction, and a judge ordered Allstot to either accept the reduced figure or endure a second trial on the issue of compensation, Rob Wilcox, a spokesman for the city attorney’s office, said Wednesday.

In reducing the payout, Judge Richard L. Fruin Jr. ruled that Allstot would not suffer “any future pain and suffering,” said Greg Smith, an attorney representing Allstot. None of the officers Allstot made complaints against faced internal discipline, Smith said.

Lightfoot retired this year and was enrolled in the city’s controversial retirement program that pays police officers and firefighters their salaries and pensions simultaneously during the last five years of their careers, even if they are not on active duty.

The Deferred Retirement Option Program, also known as DROP, allowed Lightfoot to collect an additional $423,154 in pension checks when he left the department in February, according to data provided by the Los Angeles Fire and Police Pensions fund. Lightfoot also collected $102,000 in sick time while in DROP, records show.

An employee’s service or attendance record have no bearing on his or her enrollment in DROP, so Allstot’s allegations of harassment and misconduct against Lightfoot could not have prevented him from profiting from DROP.

City officials have said they are reviewing the program after a Times investigation found police officers and firefighters might have been abusing the system by taking time off for cumulative injuries after entering DROP, which allows participants to file workers’ compensation claims and then take extended injury leaves at nearly twice their usual pay.

Allstot, a 20-year veteran of the department, remains on duty within the internal affairs unit, Smith said.

Lightfoot could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.

In a statement, the LAPD said it was disappointed with the verdict earlier this year but insisted the agency has a “zero tolerance” policy for harassment.

“The [department] requires that every employee complete annual training on sexual harassment in the workplace and the [department] provides employees a variety of ways to report any sexual harassment,” the statement read. “When any such conduct is reported, it is taken seriously and is investigated by Internal Affairs.”

A department spokesman said he could not comment on any internal disciplinary charges brought against Lightfoot or other officers, citing state privacy laws protecting police personnel records.