(LOS ANGELES) – Today, City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto announced that her office protected taxpayers by obtaining a defense verdict in the matter of Mario Cardona vs. City of Los Angeles. Mario Cardona, a sergeant with LAPD’s 77th Division, sued the LAPD for race discrimination and unlawful retaliation after the LAPD reassigned him from the 77th Area Gang Enforcement Detail to the 77th Area Patrol and reported Cardona to the Risk Management Executive Committee (RMEC) for monitoring. Prior to trial, Cardona demanded more than $6.2 million from the City to settle his case and more than $6 million at trial based upon alleged economic damages, past and present.
After roughly one day of deliberation, the jury found no adverse employment action occurred when LAPD reassigned him, finding in the City’s favor.
“This verdict reaffirms our commitment to protecting the City from employment lawsuits filed to obtain financial advantage over and above salaries, benefits, and pension at the expense of the City,” said Hydee Feldstein Soto, Los Angeles City Attorney. “This result is welcome in light of the City’s decision to take the case to trial rather than allow taxpayers to fund exorbitant settlement demands.”
The matter was tried at the Stanley Mosk Los Angeles County Courthouse, on May 27, 2025, and resulted in a defense verdict on June 11, 2025. The jury found that Sergeant Cardona did not suffer any adverse employment action.
LASC Case #22STCV17208: Mario Cardona, an individual, Plaintiff, vs. City of Los Angeles, Defendants
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Hydee Feldstein Soto is the 43rd Los Angeles City Attorney, elected in November 2022 and sworn into office in December 2022. Her team of nearly 1,000 legal professionals, including 500+ attorneys, carries out legal work for the City of Los Angeles at her direction and under her supervision. She is the first female City Attorney in L.A. history.