A jury has awarded nearly $17 million to a San Diego woman who alleged in a lawsuit that while working as a clinical psychologist at a California state prison she was retaliated and discriminated against, then later fired after she made complaints about her working conditions.
Beth Fischgrund alleged in her lawsuit against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation that after she raised concerns regarding an inmate who threatened her with violence, she was not taken seriously and was later fired for reporting her concerns.
After her firing, prison officials blacklisted her from working at any other state prisons and made false statements about her conduct, she alleged.
Fischgrund was awarded nearly $14 million in damages and $3 million for defamation by a Sacramento County jury last week in connection with her time working at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad.
A CDCR spokesperson declined to comment on the verdict.
Lawrance Bohm, one of Fischgrund's attorneys, said in a statement, "This was a complete and total victory, vindication and validation of Dr. Fischgrund."
Fischgrund alleged in her lawsuit that among other things, another doctor at the prison made inappropriate and sexual comments towards her and prison officials were aware that several women had made sexual harassment complaints against the doctor.
Later, an inmate also made sexual comments about her and claimed he would "cut her head off if we were not here but in my world," Fischgrund's attorneys said.
The attorneys said a "staff separation alert" should have been issued, which would have kept the inmate away from Fischgrund, but it never happened because Fischgrund was told by highers-up that the inmate's threat wasn't credible.
Fischgrund emailed CDCR headquarters and her fellow clinicians regarding her safety concerns and was fired two days later for "misconduct."
After her termination, the lawsuit alleged Fischgrund was blacklisted from working at any other CDCR facilities and that prison officials made multiple, false and defamatory statements about her, all of which derailed her employment opportunities and took a toll on her mental health.
