Facts

Plaintiff Ronnie Jones, a Black, queer individual, joined the San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) in 2006. In 2015, Jones came out as transgender and transitioned from female-to-male while employed. Jones alleged that he was passed over for many promotional opportunities during his time at SFFD given his qualifications and performance record. He also alleged that he experienced overt hostility by coworkers who addressed him by his old name and incorrect pronouns, and that when incidents were reported to HR, no meaningful action was taken.

PLAINTIFF'S CONTENTIONS: Plaintiff filed suit, alleging gender discrimination, racial discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and failure to prevent discrimination and harassment.

DEFENDANT'S CONTENTIONS: Among the several arguments made upon summary judgment, the City contended that it had no direct liability for non-supervisory employees and that Jones' experiences did not rise to the level of harassment because they were isolated instances of incorrect pronoun usage.

Injuries

The court denied defendant's motion for summary judgment. The parties agreed to settle the case. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors authorized the City Attorney to settle the action for $149,000.

Result

The case settled for $149,000.