Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley has reportedly been hit with a lawsuit by a former top official who called out alleged “failures of leadership.”
Amid the devastating and deadly wildfires that have destroyed parts of the Los Angeles area, Crowley, LA Mayor Karen Bass, and others have come under scathing criticism over the dismal handling of the catastrophe. Crowley, who reportedly enjoys $ 654,000 a year in compensation and benefits, has reportedly been named in a lawsuit brought by former LAFD Fire Administrator Jenny Park.
“Park, a former deputy city attorney who rose to become the highest-ranking woman in the LAFD other than Crowley. claims the chief wrongfully fired her in December 2023 out of fear ‘of being exposed’ after she complained and reported her ‘improper acts,’ according to a court filing,” Daily Mail reported.
LA FIRE CHIEF SUED AS WILDFIRE CHAOS RAGES
LA Fire Chief Kristin Crowley is in hot water.
Former fire official Jenny Park is suing her, claiming she was fired for exposing Crowley’s shady behavior, including harassment, bad leadership, and even keeping $37,000 the city… pic.twitter.com/KeWWrfP6ny
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) January 15, 2025
Crowley allegedly “failed to repay the city for a significant overpayment she had received in error,” according to the 14-page legal complaint, referring to a $37,000 overpayment by the city.
“Chief Crowley got paid a significant amount of money that was an overpayment – thousands of dollars – and, to our knowledge, never repaid that money,” Park’s attorney Martin Aarons told DailyMail.com, adding that Park ” would routinely remind her about it and she just ghosted her.”
Deputy Chief Orin Saunders is also named in the legal complaint which describes him as “an African-American gay male” appointed by Crowley in February 2023.
The Daily Mail reported:
According to the filing, Park – who oversaw the agency’s budget, revenue, audits, accounting, payroll, risk management, human resources, and other admin divisions – had expressed her concerns and complained about ‘numerous decisions and actions’ by Crowley and Saunders during Saunders’s command of the Administrative Operations.
Among her complaints were Crowley allegedly not promoting people on merit, failing to consistently enforce rules and regulations impartially, badgering and neglecting civilian staff, and violating city contract procedures and ethics rules.
The two are accused of “retaliating” against Park, who is described in the filing as an “over 40-year-old Asian American.”
“Chief Crowley’s and Chief Saunders’ harassment and retaliation caused enormous stress and anxiety for Ms. Park, harming her physical health, mental well-being and financial security,” the filing stated.
“Ms. Park had been sharing her distress and frustration with colleagues regarding ongoing harassment and retaliation and informed several former and current high-ranking members of the department that she had filed a complaint direct with Chief Sanders,” the lawsuit continued.
Saunders reportedly told Park in December 2023 not to come in to work as Crowley had decided to fire her.
“Ms. Park believes the termination was substantially motivated by her protected activity,” the filing stated.
“Fearful of being exposed, especially as being hailed as the first female to lead the LAFD, Fire Chief Kristin Crowley and her right-hand Chief Deputy Orin Saunders terminated Ms. Park, an exemplary employee with the LAFD and its highest-ranking Asian and female civilian for speaking out against violations,” the lawsuit alleged.
“While the outside world saw curated and filtered snippets, those on the inside were left to deal with Crowley’s and Saunders’ failures of leadership and had to endure silently or risk retaliation,” it continued. “Ms. Park chose to speak up and was terminated in retaliation for complaining and reporting improper acts by the newly-appointed Fire Chief and her Chief Deputy of Administrative Operations.”
The filing accused Crowley and Saunders of having “waged a campaign of harassment, intimidation, subterfuge and retaliation” against Park, adding that Crowley, who was described in the filing as the LAFD’s “first female and gay fire chief” had “mistakenly believed her historic appointment gave her license to engage in unlawful retaliatory conduct against another woman. She was wrong.”
“After Chief Crowley started, over the course of the next 18 months it became clear that if you didn’t go along with what she wanted to do then you were all of a sudden persona non grata,” Aarons, Park’s attorney, told Daily Mail about the chief who was appointed in a “closed-door process” in March 2022.
“Ms Park was hoping to stay at the LA Fire Department for the rest of her work life and had hoped to retire there. So we’re looking for all of her lost wages and her future lost wages as well, which are only part of it,’ he said.
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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