Trial Court Dismisses Employment Discrimination Lawsuit Brought by Former Pasadena Police Department Employee

The City of Pasadena prevailed in a lawsuit brought against the City by Taisyn Crutchfield, a former employee of the Pasadena Police Department. After nearly two years of litigation, the trial court dismissed all of Ms. Crutchfield’s claims against the City and ordered Ms. Crutchfield to pay the City $40,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs.

In June 2024, Ms. Crutchfield filed a lawsuit against the City alleging claims of discrimination and harassment based on her gender and race, as well as retaliation for allegedly reporting unlawful conduct. Shortly after filing her lawsuit, Ms. Crutchfield voluntarily resigned from her employment, claiming she had been constructively terminated.

On February 13, 2026, the trial court dismissed each of Ms. Crutchfield’s claims, finding that there was either no or insufficient evidence to support her allegations against the City. The trial court also found that the City presented “significant” and, in other instances, “substantial” evidence of legitimate, non-discriminatory justifications for the City’s decisions, including those made by Chief of Police Eugene Harris, regarding Ms. Crutchfield’s employment.

Following the dismissal, on June 3, 2026, the trial court awarded the City $40,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs against Ms. Crutchfield. In granting the award, the court found after the second session of Chief Harris’ deposition, Ms. Crutchfield’s “prosecution of her action was … ‘frivolous, unreasonable or groundless.’”

The trial court’s findings were particularly notable regarding Ms. Crutchfield’s credibility. The court found that Ms. Crutchfield had been “untruthful” in the prosecution of her case. The court emphasized that after filing her complaint, Ms. Crutchfield appeared at a televised press conference where she “made scandalous statements about Chief Harris that a month later she admitted were not truthful.” On April 2, 2025, Ms. Crutchfield publicly stated that she “did not want to sleep with [Chief Harris]” and, “as a result of that, [she] was punished harshly.” The trial court found that “a month later in a deposition [Ms.] Crutchfield admitted under oath that her statements [concerning the alleged sexual harassment by Chief Harris] at the televised press conference were a lie.”

Ms. Crutchfield was represented by Bradley C. Gage of Brad Gage Law, APC, and the City of Pasadena was represented by Carmen M. Aguado and Johnnie A. James of Ogletree Deakins.

Throughout this lawsuit, the City’s priorities have been to continue to maintain a fair and equitable workplace, hold all individuals accountable to the truth, and defend its employees and taxpayers against meritless claims. The trial court’s rulings affirmed the City’s commitment to those priorities.

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