A Redondo Beach Police officer, who is suing the city for gender and pregnancy discrimination, will not have to undergo an independent mental health examination after all.
Officer Daryn Glenn is Redondo Beach’s first Black K-9 handler. Her Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit accuses Redondo of wrongfully removing her from patrol after getting pregnant in 2021. The suit accuses Redondo of gender and pregnancy discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and failure to prevent harassment and discrimination.
In earlier court papers, attorneys for the city said Glenn had made her mental health an issue in the case as she seeks $2 million for pain, suffering and emotional distress damages.
The city lawyers wanted a judge to order Glenn to undergo an independent mental examination by a third party expert to determine to what extent her condition stems from her allegations.
But after the city filed the motion for the mental exam, said City Attorney Michael Webb, Glenn agreed to limit her claim for mental or emotional distress, making the city’s motion unnecessary.
In earlier court papers, the city’s lawyers called Glenn’s lawsuit allegations “frivolous” and said her lawsuit should be dismissed.
Glenn, 29, was hired in 2017 and became the city’s first Black K-9 handler in 2021, the suit says.
In October 2021, after Glenn notified her supervisors she was pregnant, she was immediately pulled from her K-9 patrol assignment, reportedly for safety reasons, according to the lawsuit.
The suit also says Glenn was told she was being taken off patrol because the department does not have maternity uniforms.
In early November 2021, Glenn reported her discrimination claim to the Redondo Beach Police Officers Association, according to the lawsuit.
In response, the union president, according to the suit, told Glenn, “If you want to stay in (the) canine unit, I can push you down the stairs or kick you in the stomach.”
The lawsuit further says Glenn reported that comment to her supervisor, Lt. Cory King, who did not investigate and told the plaintiff to ignore the remark.
Glenn also accused RBPD of taking away her patrol vehicle, forbading her from attending K-9 training and ordering her to turn over her dog in January 2022 so it could be sold.
Glenn was then reassigned to dispatch and remained there until going on maternity leave in June 2022, the suit states.
Previously, a male officer with a disabillity was allowed to continue working patrol and attend K-9 training with his dog and was never reassigned to a light duty position for safety reasons, nor was his animal taken away, according to the suit.
The trial is scheduled for March 25, Webb said.
Staff writer Lisa Jacobs contributed to this report.