Judge Overturns $700k Jury Verdict in California Fire Captain Discrimination Case
A Kern County Superior Court judge has overturned a jury verdict entered last November in a long-running employment discrimination case brought by a Bakersfield Fire Department captain. The court granted the City’s motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict (JNOV), setting aside a jury award of more than $700,000.
A copy of the decision is not available, but according to news reports the judge concluded that the jury’s findings were legally inconsistent. Specifically, while the jury found that discrimination did not occur, it nevertheless found the City liable for failing to prevent discrimination. The court ruled that liability for failure to prevent discrimination cannot stand in the absence of an underlying finding that discrimination actually occurred. As a result, the jury’s verdict was set aside and judgment was entered for the City. The court also granted the City’s motion for a new trial should the JNOV be reversed on appeal.
The case was originally filed in Kern County Superior Court in 2020 by Captain Edgar Quincy Sloan, a long-time member of the Bakersfield Fire Department. Sloan alleged that he was subjected to race discrimination and retaliation within the department and that he was repeatedly passed over for promotion, including promotion to battalion chief, despite being ranked highly on eligibility lists.
Sloan also alleged that disciplinary actions taken against him were motivated by discriminatory animus and were used to impede his advancement. The City denied the allegations. The case proceeded through several years of pretrial litigation, including early motions addressing parties and procedural issues, before ultimately being set for trial.
Following a nine-week jury trial, the case was submitted to the jury in November 2025. The jury returned a mixed (if not paradoxical) verdict. While it rejected Sloan’s claim that the City had engaged in unlawful discrimination, it found that the City had failed to take reasonable steps to prevent discrimination in the fire department.
Based on that finding, the jury awarded Sloan damages in excess of $700,000. The verdict drew attention given both the size of the award and the length of time the case had been pending.
After the verdict, the City filed post-trial motions, including a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict and a motion for a new trial. In January 2026, the court issued a written ruling granting both motions.
As reported, the court concluded that the jury’s findings could not be reconciled as a matter of law. Because the jury expressly found that discrimination did not occur, the court ruled that the City could not be held liable for failing to prevent discrimination. On that basis, the court entered judgment in favor of the City notwithstanding the verdict. For more on news about the decision. The court also ruled that should the JNOV be reversed on appeal, a new trial must be held.
According to the reporting, Sloan has indicated that he intends to continue pursuing the case and may appeal the court’s ruling. If an appellate court were to reverse the JNOV, the trial court’s order granting a new trial would take effect.
To get a sense for what it took to get this case to this point, the court docket is attached… 21 pages long.
