A prominent Los Angeles Fire Department captain sued the city on Monday after being disciplined following his arrest at a protest in support of hotel workers.
LAFD Capt. Frank Lima, who also serves as general secretary-treasurer of the International Association of Fire Fighters, a national union, filed the lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, alleging his free speech rights were violated.
The United Firefighters of the City of Los Angeles, the union representing Los Angeles firefighters, and the International Association of Fire Fighters are also plaintiffs.
The lawsuit claims Lima received a disciplinary notice from the LAFD last month due to his participation in a June 22, 2023 protest over wages and health care benefits for members of Unite Here Local 11, a labor group representing Los Angeles hotel workers.
Lima was off duty when he went to the protest, according to his lawsuit.
Protesters sat cross-legged in the middle of Century Boulevard near Los Angeles International Airport during the nonviolent protest, The Times reported at the time. The protest was widely covered by the media because dozens of people, including several members of the Los Angeles City Council, were arrested.
According to the lawsuit, the arrests were foreseeable and organizers coordinated with the Los Angeles Police Department in advance. Lima was never charged.
The protest drew more headlines afterward because Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto’s office sent out a memo advising city elected officials to refrain from getting involved in labor disputes, saying such activities could lead to legal action against the city. Critics questioned her advice, arguing that Los Angeles officials had long marched in solidarity with unions.
Lima claims in his lawsuit that at the protest he was wearing a T-shirt with the “IAFF logo that clearly identified him as a union leader, not clothing or any other item that could in any way identify him as an employee of the LAFD.”
According to the lawsuit, he immediately reported his arrest to the LAFD’s Professional Standards Division, as required by the department. In October 2023, he was contacted by an internal investigator to inform him of the arrest and granted an interview that lasted five minutes.
Then, in June, he received a “written reprimand” from the department and a disciplinary notice that found he had violated a section of LAFD rules that requires LAFD members to “be familiar with and be compliant with the rules, regulations, practices… and procedures of the Department.”
He was also told he had violated another section that requires LAFD members to “abide by the ordinary and reasonable rules of conduct observed by law-abiding and self-respecting citizens” and “conduct themselves in a manner not tending to prejudice the good order and discipline of the Department,” according to the lawsuit.
Lima's lawsuit claims violations of the 1st and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, among other rights.
A representative for the Fire Department declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Lima did not respond to a request for comment.
Ryan Heffernan, the IAFF’s communications chief, told The Times that the action against Lima is “intended to intimidate IAFF members from engaging in legal union activities.”
“The IAFF is proud of General Secretary-Treasurer Lima’s leadership and support for California hotel workers, and we are committed to challenging this LAFD policy that infringes on our members’ constitutional and legal rights,” Heffernan said.
Lima, a 32-year veteran of the Fire Department, is well-known within the LAFD and the International Association of Fire Fighters, which represents 350,000 firefighters and emergency medical and rescue workers in North America.
Lima has an unusual arrangement with the city, which also allows him to work for the national union. He works about 48 hours a month at the Fire Department, the lawsuit claims.
The lawsuit claims the disciplinary action harms Lima’s “opportunities for advancement within the LAFD” and his earning potential. It could also serve as grounds for “more severe disciplinary action” in the future.
Lima sued the LAFD two decades ago. A jury awarded him $3.75 million after he alleged retaliation by his superiors in connection with his oversight of a training exercise.
