Anti-smoking advocate’s lawsuit against Glendale councilman over termination dropped

A lawsuit filed by a former tobacco outreach worker at Glendale Adventist Medical Center who was fired after he published an opinion column criticizing the City Council has been settled out of court, while a related case against Mayor Ara Najarian has been dropped.

In 2012, Steven Gallegos had a letter published in the Glendale News-Press that took aim at Najarian, Councilwoman Laura Friedman and former Councilman Rafi Manoukian for voting in favor of loosening smoking restrictions for large outdoor dining areas.

Gallegos was subsequently let go from his position, one month after receiving a positive performance review.

An amended complaint alleged Najarian had an influence on Gallegos’ firing.

The case was on course for a May 12 trial date, but was dismissed at the end of March.

On Feb. 25, a settlement conference was held between all parties and their attorneys, according to court documents.

Shortly after that meeting, Najarian said the case against him was dropped because Gallegos and his attorney agreed to dismissal, not because of a judge order.

A settlement was reached between Glendale Adventist and Gallegos, but the resolution was confidential and details of the agreement were sealed.

He was initially seeking more than $15 million in damages from the multiple parties involved, but he would not disclose how much he received.

Officials at Glendale Adventist would not discuss the settlement because it’s a private employee matter, said hospital spokeswoman Alicia Gonzalez.

After losing his job, Gallegos, a tobacco outreach worker for 20 years, said he had trouble finding work and eventually found part-time employment with the city of Pasadena.

Several months ago, he launched his own business called Public Health Policy Advocates, LLC., he said.

“I’ve moved on. For your own sanity, you have to move on,” Gallegos said.

Friedman and Manoukian were previously dismissed as defendants.

Najarian, who was represented by the city attorney’s office, said neither he nor the city had to pay Gallegos any money because the case was dropped.

Despite the number of years the case was pending, the outcome did not come as a surprise, Najarian said.

“It didn’t catch me off guard. I knew all along what transpired at my end, I knew I wasn’t acting unlawfully or contrary to any public policy,” he said. “I knew it was a matter of time that I would be dismissed from the case.”

Najarian, who has served on the Glendale City Council since 2005, announced plans in March to run in 2016 for the seat on the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors currently held by Mike Antonovich.

“I’m glad it’s done and behind me … the dismissal indicates a realization that the case against me had no merit,” he said.