Ex-Metro safety chief sues, alleging she was fired in retaliation for raising security concerns

Metro’s former top safety officer is suing the transit agency, alleging she was fired earlier this year in a backlash not long after she filed a report with the agency’s inspector general expressing concern about rider safety.

Gina Osborn was terminated at the direction of Metro Chief Executive Stephanie Wiggins, according to the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit, which seeks more than $7 million in damages for out-of-pocket expenses and emotional pain.

“The evidence establishes that Gina Osborn was summarily terminated in retaliation for having and voicing a commitment to safety that was contrary to that of Ms. Wiggins, who operated under the belief that, since many Metro customers have no other choice but to use Metro for transportation, their lack of safety, while disappointing, was not her primary concern,” the suit filed Monday states.

The lawsuit brought a sharp rebuke Tuesday by a Metro representative.

“Gina Osborn’s claim that Metro unlawfully terminated her employment in retaliation for a complaint she filed was thoroughly investigated by an independent investigator,” the statement read. “The investigation concluded that Ms. Osborn’s allegations were not supported by the facts. The Office of County Counsel feels very strongly about Metro’s ability to prove its case in Court.”

Wiggins, who is not a defendant in the suit, also released a statement regarding the case.

“As the leader of this organization … I demand the highest standards from my leadership team and am grateful for the exceptional group of executives who join me in Metro’s mission-critical work to serve our riders,” Wiggins said. “I have said many times that there is still so much more to accomplish and we must stay focused on building a strong organization that leverages our strengths to prepare us for future major initiatives.”

Osborn was named Metro’s chief safety officer in January 2022 and served in that role until her termination on March 26 of this year. She also served for much of that time as the deputy chief of system security and law enforcement.

Shortly before her termination, Osborn issued a report to MTA’s inspector general, Karen Gorman, “regarding embarrassing law enforcement failures by the metropolitan police departments MTA relies upon to protect MTA’s employees and riders, at a cost of over $200 million a year,” the suit states.

Prior to her report to the inspector general, Osborn sent a 12-page report to Wiggins documenting alleged law enforcement performance deficiencies, citing as an example a man who died on a platform in February in broad daylight in San Pedro after smoking an unknown substance.

The person was slumped over a bench for nearly six hours and although five LAPD officers were on the platform, the body was not found until a Metro transit ambassador came upon it, the suit states.

Osborn also reported to Wiggins that in January or February, a tall, hefty individual entered the turnstiles of the North Hollywood station and battered a transit officer while a group of LAPD officers who arrived later did nothing more than provide crowd control, according to the suit, which further includes examples of other issues on MTA routes that the plaintiff maintains were poorly handled by Long Beach police and Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies.

Osborn also alleges she was marginalized by Wiggins and excluded from an important meeting attended by Sheriff Robert Luna and then-LAPD Chief Michel Moore to discuss Metro security matters.

“Ms. Osborn and her security staff were not included in this meeting, which marginalized Ms. Osborn in the eyes of her law enforcement contractors,” the suit states.