Wasserstrom

BACKGROUND

The verified operative complaint alleged: About December 16, 2001, DCFS hired plaintiff to work at its “Torrance Regional Office . . . as a Supervising Children’s Social Worker (‘SCSW’),” and about August 1, 2010, she was “re-assigned as out-of-class Children’s Services Administrator (CSA) I.” Plaintiff was and is the only “white, Jewish female” at that location. About September 8, 2011, plaintiff applied for the positions of CSA I and “Assistant Regional Administrator (‘ARA’).” Dessalegn, Tang, and Key were DCFS supervisors. Dessalegn and Tang notified plaintiff she was not selected for either position, although “she had been doing the [CSA I] job for over one year.” About a week later, Tang “made derogatory statements about her, and told her she would never get either position because of her race and religion”; Tang also stated Key was “right about” plaintiff, i.e., Key said plaintiff “was a racist because of her religion and race” and that

2 plaintiff “took only non-white and non-Jewish children into protective custody.” About three weeks later, plaintiff met with Tang and Dessalegn to discuss Tang’s gossiping to supervisors at the office “about [the above]…