A 75-year-old former Los Angeles Department of Water and Power technician has reached a tentative settlement in a lawsuit claiming age and disability discrimination and retaliation. At the heart of the case are allegations that the utility would not accommodate a decades-old back injury and instead pushed the longtime worker out of the job he says he could still handle with medical restrictions.
Tentative Accord Filed In Court
According to MyNewsLA, plaintiff Brett A. MacDonald, 75, had court papers filed on March 6 notifying Judge Joseph Lipner of a “conditional” accord. The filing says a request for dismissal is expected by May 20, 2026, but offers no public details on any financial terms or other conditions.
What The Lawsuit Says
Judge Lipner's tentative ruling and related court documents describe MacDonald's long run with the agency, starting with his hire in February 1982, and an on-the-job spinal injury in 1985 that, according to the complaint, flares up from time to time. The record highlights a September 2019 freight-elevator incident that led to medical leave, followed by a series of medical notes with changing lifting restrictions that make up the factual backbone of his discrimination and failure-to-accommodate claims. Rulings.law reproduces the judge's ruling and summarizes those allegations.
City's Response And Staffing Moves
The city has maintained in court that MacDonald's permanent work restrictions meant he could not perform the essential functions of his technician position and that he did not qualify for any of the vacant alternate assignments the department identified. Reporting from KNX News (City News Service) also notes that DWP briefly placed MacDonald on paid leave while it searched across the department for other openings.
Legal Context For Workplace Accommodations
California law and federal disability rules require employers to engage in a timely, good-faith interactive process with workers and to provide reasonable accommodations unless that would create an undue hardship. Under the Fair Employment and Housing Act, the California Civil Rights Department explains employers' duties to accommodate and to participate in that interactive process. Federally, the EEOC enforcement guidance under the ADA sets out similar standards, including reassignment to vacant positions as a potential accommodation.
What Happens Next
If both sides follow the schedule laid out in the March filing, a request to dismiss the case could hit the court docket by May 20, 2026, which would typically wrap up the litigation if the judge signs off on the settlement. As MyNewsLA reports, the deal is still conditional and the terms remain private. The earlier procedural history, including the judge's previous dismissal of a negligent-hiring claim, stays in the public record and frames what issues the settlement is expected to resolve.
