A former female San Jose firefighter has gone to court against the city, claiming she endured six years of allegedly racially biased and gender motivated sexual and physical harassment at the hands of fellow firefighters and leadership while the city allegedly did nothing.
Casilia Loessberg filed a civil action complaint against the city of San Jose and unnamed others on February 22 in Santa Clara County Superior Court. Loessberg is suing the city for violations of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) for creating a hostile work environment, sexual harassment and discrimination, retaliation, and a failure to prevent or address the behavior.
According to the complaint, Loessberg is a decorated Marine who served in the field for 7 years, becoming an EMT during her time in the Armed Forces. After she was discharged, she worked for the San Jose Fire Department for the next 3 years as an EMT at various stations. In 2015, while working as an EMT and an ER tech, she was accepted to the city of San Jose's Firefighter Academy to become a firefighter, which she said was her lifetime goal.
According to the complaint, her performance at the Academy gained her recognition and the top spot in her graduating class. After graduation, she accepted a position with the San Jose Fire Department in September of 2015 at Station 9 beginning a one-year probationary period. Following that period, Loessberg claimed the next six years were difficult for her.
She attests in court documents that she was routinely assaulted both physically and sexually. At one point she claims to have been physically restrained against an emergency vehicle and groped beneath her clothing by a male superior, while a co-worker allegedly watched and ignored the incident.
In addition, although Loessberg is Black, she stated her male co-workers not only made offensive gender biased and racial slurs, but alleges that comments were made as to her ethnic origin, suggesting she was also Jewish. She asserts that her supervisor in Station 3, an alleged Nazi supporter, made threatening remarks as to the Holocaust, insisting to her that she was Jewish because of her last name, allegedly suggesting all Jews should be thrown into the ovens.
This alleged abuse allegedly continued unchecked for six years. While she reported that she desperately wanted to report the harassment, one of the worst of her alleged abusers was also the son of the fire chief. Loessberg claimed feared not only for her safety, but that this individual allegedly would retaliate and take adverse action against her for reporting.
Although she was permanently stationed at Station 34 in San Jose for approximately three years, she ultimately left, taking an extended job-induced medical leave and was constructively discharged in 2021.
Loessberg is demanding a trial by jury and is seeking actual and compensatory damages, injunctive relief, court costs and legal fees.
Loessberg is represented by attorney Charles Trudrung Taylor, of the firm of Lang, Richert & Patch, of Fresno.