Two female Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies who worked in the department's K‑9 unit say they were pushed out after reporting sexism and retaliation, and they now want a judge to crack open internal messages they believe will show how supervisors lined up against them. Deputies Joy Schuerger and Amber Bissell allege their supervisor, Sgt. Jeremy Draper repeatedly shuffled their work schedules at the last minute, publicly dressed them down, and hit them with baseless discipline. According to their complaint, the treatment escalated into internal investigations, suspensions, and demotions after they complained about sex discrimination.
What They Say Is In The Inbox
The deputies' attorneys have asked the court to compel the county to turn over emails and texts among Sgt. Draper, Lieutenant Mary DeBella, and Chief Jason Wolak, who "relate, refer or pertain" to Schuerger and Bissell, as reported by MyNewsLA. Their motion argues that those communications would help prove claims of gender discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. The lawsuit was originally filed on Aug. 12, 2025, according to the complaint.
Case Timeline And Docket
According to the Los Angeles Superior Court case calendar, the lawsuit is docketed as case number 25STCV23639 and was filed Aug. 12, 2025. The court has set a case-management conference for May 29, 2026, in Department 17 at the Stanley Mosk courthouse. The docket shows the matter is still active in the central civil court while the discovery fight plays out.
County Pushes Back
County lawyers have fired back with their own filings that oppose the discovery request, labeling it procedurally defective and "overbroad and inconsistent," according to MyNewsLA. The county argues the motion improperly combines different types of relief and should either be trimmed down or tossed. Schuerger and Bissell's attorneys counter in their pleadings that "these collective communications would tend to prove their collective efforts to punish Schuerger and Bissell for complaining about the illegal employment practices."
Why The Records Matter
The fight over who gets to see which messages fits a broader pattern of internal litigation and records battles inside the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, where disputes over supervision, subgroups, and retaliation have led to a steady stream of lawsuits and county payouts, observers say. A RAND report on LASD subgroups and personnel disputes notes how internal cliques and related litigation have shaped the department's culture and the county's legal exposure. In a separate case, a separate LASD officer's bid to pry open internal files underscored how discovery battles often decide what evidence the public ever gets to see.
In this K‑9 case, the court will now have to decide whether the deputies can obtain the emails and texts they say are central to proving discriminatory treatment, or whether the county's objections will significantly narrow what surfaces in discovery. For now, the lawsuit remains pending in Los Angeles Superior Court under case number 25STCV23639.
