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Former LAFD Chief sues city, Mayor Bass
Former LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley is suing the City of Los Angeles and Mayor Karen Bass months after she was removed from her position over her response to the Palisades and Eaton fires.
LOS ANGELES - Former Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley has filed a legal claim against the city and Mayor Karen Bass, alleging she was a victim of defamation and retaliation.
The backstory:
Crowley's legal claim alleges her 25-year public service career was ended because she "told the truth" about the LAFD's condition.
According to the claim, she informed city leadership and the public that the LAFD was "underfunded, understaffed and ill-equipped to handle the rising demands of a growing city," due to Bass's budget cuts and decades of city neglect.
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PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Mayor Bass defends firing LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley
Mayor Karen Bass is defending her move to remove Kristin Crowley as LA Fire Chief amid rising tensions with city leaders.
The claim states that after Crowley publicly confirmed Mayor Bass cut the LAFD's operating budget by $17.6 million, she was "targeted and removed."
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
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Her attorneys allege that the mayor and her office then launched a smear campaign with false statements, including that Crowley failed to notify Bass of wind conditions, sent home 1,000 firefighters, and refused to conduct an after-action report.
Crowley's attorney, Genie Harrison, has a history of representing city employees in claims against the city; she represented a firefighter whose lawsuit against the city later settled.
What they're saying:
Crowley's attorney, Genie Harrison, stated, "The citizens of Los Angeles deserve to know the truth about how under-resourced the LAFD has become and how that came to be." Harrison added that Crowley "has put herself on the line yet again, this time to give the citizens of Los Angeles and its firefighters the truth -- and the power to create change."
Crowley’s attorneys also alleged that the statements made against her "were not simple mistakes." They were "falsehoods that were repeated publicly to deflect blame from the mayor's absence (in Ghana) during a predicted emergency and the consequences of her own decisions."
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- Ex-LAFD Chief Kristin Crowley issues statement after removal
- LA firefighters demand Kristin Crowley be reinstated as chief
- Mayor Bass denies firing LAFD Chief Crowley
The claim demands an immediate retraction of all allegedly false statements, a public apology from the city and mayor to Crowley, and an end to all alleged ongoing reprisals.
A representative for the City Attorney's Office has not yet replied to a request for comment.
The Source: This report is based on information from a legal claim filed by former Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley against the city and Mayor Karen Bass. It includes direct quotes and allegations from Crowley’s attorneys and her legal counsel, Genie Harrison. We also included a detail about the legal history of Crowley's attorney to provide additional context.