The City Council Wednesday approved a $1.8 million settlement with a Los Angeles Police Department officer who alleged he was sexually harassed by ex-Mayor Eric Garcetti's former senior advisor.
The council voted 13-0 on the matter with council members Bob Blumenfield and John Lee absent during the vote. The move comes after the attorneys for Officer Matthew Garza filed court papers in May notifying Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Curtis Kin of a "conditional" resolution of the case and that a request for dismissal would be filed by Nov. 3.
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A representative from the City Attorney's Office said the office had no further comment.
Garza sued in July 2020, alleging sex and gender harassment. He was assigned for several years to the LAPD's police protection unit for the ex- mayor. He says he was required to drive Garcetti to and from mayoral engagements and accompany him on out-of-town trips and that former mayoral adviser Rick Jacobs often accompanied them.
Garza alleged that Jacobs subjected him on hundreds of occasions to unwanted and unwelcome sexual comments and touching, including tight hugs and shoulder rubbing, from 2014-19.
The suit alleged Garcetti witnessed some of the behavior but did not intervene.
Jacobs denied harassing anyone.
Garcetti has denied he condoned any misconduct. In May, he told the Los Angeles Times that he would have acted promptly if he had been informed of a problem.
When city officials found out about Garza's harassment claims in June 2020, they hired attorney Leslie Ellis and her investigative law firm to conduct a probe into the officer's allegations against Jacobs. After interviewing witnesses, Ellis presented a report in 2021 in which she concluded that Garza's allegations were not credible and that the behavior he complained of never occurred.
In his deposition, Jacobs, asked if he ever hugged Garza, replied, "It's possible" and said he had the impression it was consensual. Jacobs acknowledged that some of his handshakes with Garza could have resulted in his pulling the officer into an embrace as "sort of a bro hug."
But he denied making comments in Garza's presence concerning the size of male private parts and also said he never motioned the officer to sit on his lap.
The lawsuit also impacted Garcetti's nomination to be U.S. ambassador to India, as some senators delayed a vote on the matter. Ultimately, the senate confirmed Garcetti's nomination by a 52-42 vote in March.
The council's Budget, Finance and Innovation Committee considered the case in closed session on Oct. 25, and recommended the $1.8 million settlement be approved by the full council.
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