Jury Awards Police K-9 Handler $11.5 Million In Discrimination And Retaliation Case

In March 2024, a California jury awarded $11.5 million to a police K-9 handler who alleged he was unfairly punished after he reported discriminatory comments made by some of his colleagues.  The K-9 handler had decades of experience and a glowing nationwide reputation.  He alleged that his colleagues used slurs regarding his ethnicity and misstated his national origin.

The handler alleged that officers spread false rumors and that his supervisor did not intervene or investigate.  When the handler allegedly complained to another supervisor, the internal affairs officers searched the K-9 handler’s locker and desk.  The handler alleged he was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation and transferred to a less desirable non-K-9 assignment.