KTLA

L.A. agrees to pay 4 LAPD officers $30K each in dispute over whether they faked illness in ‘Blue Flu’ protest

Los Angeles Police Department officers are seen outside the agency’s downtown headquarters in this undated photo. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

The city of Los Angeles agreed this week to pay $30,000 each to four LAPD officers who alleged in state court that they were wrongfully disciplined for participating in a “Blue Flu” protest action last summer.

The four officers claimed to have legitimate reasons for calling out sick over the July 4 weekend, when the Los Angeles Police Department alleged that hundreds of officers had engaged in an illegal labor action by calling out sick en masse to send a political message. The officers alleged the discipline they received was unlawful and harmed their careers.


The payouts came in four individual judgments against the city, which city attorneys accepted — along with blame in the case — rather than going to trial over the claims.

Courtney McNicholas, an attorney for officers Diego Aguilar, Ryan Putnam, Luis Rodarte and Meggan Stroup, said the judgments vindicated her clients and provided them with professional security moving forward.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.