In 2016, plaintiff Nicole Pappas, 29, a firefighter recruit for the city of San Diego, was fired. During a previous independent investigation by the city’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Pappas complained about her recruiting class, which had 33 men and three women. She claimed that some male recruits were hostile toward her and made inappropriate comments. Pappas later claimed that after she made the complaint, she was retaliated against, resulting in her being fired as a recruit. Pappas sued the city. She alleged that the city’s actions constituted gender discrimination and retaliation, creating a hostile work environment. Pappas claimed that during the independent EEOC investigation, she complained that some male recruits pushed and shoved her and that some men made inappropriate comments and posted phallic pictures in the locker room. She claimed that fire department supervisors saw the harassment but did nothing to stop it. Pappas further claimed that after the investigation, the city added a new requirement of running three miles in 24 minutes to enter the academy. Pappas alleged that though she was able to complete the requirements in her first month in the academy, she could not complete the new requirement after returning to the academy due to suffering a leg injury. She further noted that the city has since eliminated the timed run as a requirement to either enter the academy or become a firefighter. The city’s counsel contended that Pappas was not discriminated or retaliated against and that Pappas was eliminated because she could not complete the timed run requirement to enter the academy at that time., Pappas was eliminated as a firefighter recruit. She then worked as an emergency medical technician in San Diego for a private company, but she claimed that she would have made significantly more money as a city firefighter. As a result, Pappas sought recovery of lost wages.