LOS ANGELES – A Black former Carson public works director has tentatively settled her lawsuit against the city Thursday, in which she alleged she was fired in 2020 in retaliation for speaking out against racial discrimination and additionally because she took part in internal city investigations into the work environment.
Maria Elana Williams-Slaughter was the public works director for five years. She received positive performance reviews in 2017 and 2018 as well as several commendations and notes of appreciation from both city employees and public constituents, according to her complaint.
On Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Williams-Slaughter’s attorney filed court papers with Judge Lynne M. Hobbs notifying her of a “conditional” resolution in the case with the expectation a request for dismissal will be brought by July 7. No terms were divulged. It was not immediately clear whether the settlement is subject to approval by the City Council.
In their previous court papers, attorneys for the city stated that then-City Manager Sharon Landers fired Williams-Slaughter “due to the plaintiff’s repeated failure to properly administer her department, oversee the employees in her department, and manage the Public Works Dept.. under Ms. Landers’ direction.”
Williams-Slaughter struggled with managing the large, complex Public Works Dept.., including personnel issues, administrative functions such as budgets and holding contractors accountable, causing the City Council to grow frustrated with things not getting done in a timely manner, the city’s lawyers further stated in their court papers.
But according to her lawsuit, the plaintiff was the victim of discrimination and retaliation that she alleged was directed by City Councilman Jim Dear, a former city clerk and mayor.
“Soon after plaintiff’s hire, she would learn of Dear’s disdain for African-Americans,” according to the suit filed in September 2020.
Williams-Slaughter was “directly informed that Dear did not want her to be hired, simply because of her race,” her complaint alleged. “Dear felt that African-Americans were incompetent. More specifically, Dear did not want African-Americans in director level positions within Carson.”
Williams-Slaughter says she was informed of Dear’s alleged racism by multiple individuals, including several high-ranking Carson employees. She told city investigators probing employee complaints of discrimination and retaliation against Dear that she had heard he treated individuals differently on the basis of race and generally disliked Blacks, according to the suit. She says she also repeated that she had been told after her hiring that Dear did not want her placed in the public works director position.
The investigation found that Dear had created a severe and pervasive hostile work environment, according to the suit, which says he was censured in late 2015/early 2016 and his responsibilities were significantly reduced.
Beginning in the summer of 2015 and continuing during the next two years, Williams-Slaughter alleged she was repeatedly harassed by one or more “anonymous entities.” She reported what was happening to her, but was “met with resistance,” according to her court papers.
In November 2018, Dear was reelected to the City Council and “it became clear that he was focusing on anyone and everyone who had previously participated in the investigation which had led to his censure,” the suit alleged. The plaintiff contends he caused two city clerk’s office employees to lose their jobs through restructuring and became angry when Williams-Slaughter hired them into her department.
In March 2020, Landers, who Williams-Slaughter viewed as friendly with Dear, called for an unscheduled meeting with the plaintiff, who learned later that afternoon via a letter that she was fired, the suit stated.
Landers told Williams-Slaughter that she “served at the pleasure of the city manager” and that she was “not a good fit,” the suit stated.
William-Slaughter believed that the true reasons for her termination were Dear’s alleged disdain for blacks, retaliation for her protected complaints against him and her participation in several internal investigations.
Dear is still the representative of council district 2.
