LA County Probation Officers with Disabilities Sue Over Work Mandate

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Multiple members of the Los Angeles County Probation Department with various disabilities are suing their employer, alleging they have been reclassified to do work that jeopardizes their well- being and those of the juvenile detainees.

Adrian Butler, Allen Davis and Anabel Juarez are among the deputy probation officer II's in the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit that alleges harassment, retaliation, disability discrimination and failure to accommodate and engage in the interactive process. The plaintiffs seek unspecified compensatory damages as well as those to compensate them for medical expenses and emotional distress.

A Probation Department representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the suit brought Monday.

According to the complaint, the then-interim chief probation officer released an order requiring some officers to serve at least one shift per month as a detention service officer in the county's juvenile halls, effective June 1, 2023. Among the multiple duties of a DSO, which is classified as a "4- arduous" position, are to maintain order and control of a unit and take appropriate action in case of rule infractions or other disturbances by juveniles who are often combative or emotionally disturbed, plus taking action to prevent escapes.

Two months later, the assignments were increased from one shift a month to two shifts a week, the suit states.

All of the plaintiffs each have one or more medical restrictions and/or a disability diagnosed by a doctor preventing them from performing a DSO's duties, the suit states. When the plaintiffs requested a reasonable accommodation from the department, they were given an alternative  under a mandate issued in February of this year who could not work in 60-day increments in one of two juvenile institutions to accept a home assignment using their own sick time, but not any accommodations, the suit further alleges.

However, the plaintiffs did have the ability to do the work of a deputy probation officer II without having to ask for accommodations, the suit states.

The department's February directive "is an attempt at coercing plaintiffs to voluntarily lift their medical restrictions and work in the juvenile institutions as a DSO in spite of their medical restrictions, endangering the lives of both the juveniles and plaintiffs," the suit states.

The mandate also has increased a staffing shortage of deputy probation officer II's both in the field and in various juvenile facilities, according to the suit, which further states the plaintiffs are suffering from emotional distress and anxiety.