Two fired employees received $800,000 in legal settlement from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Agency, according to records released Wednesday, accusing the agency’s CEO of hiring relatives to work in top-tier jobs, trying to destroy records and “extremely disappointed” at out-of-state meetings.
Deputy Chief Information Officer Emily Vaughn Henry said in a May 2024 settlement request letter that she was fired after multiple complaints against Va Lecia Adams Kellum, a top executive at the homeless agency.
Kristina Dixon, formerly the agency’s chief financial officer, described her sack last year as part of a “witch hunt.” Her lawyer accused Adams Kellum of “hiring inexperienced key personnel in key positions simply because she worked with them before.”
LAHSA officials “strongly denied the allegations contained in the two request letters” and said in a statement that the agency “had made a business decision on the advice of an outside lawyer to resolve these issues.”
Adams Kellum defended staff employed during his tenure in an interview Wednesday, calling them “high quality.” She declined to provide details about the two termination cases and instead conducted a broader assessment of her management decision.
“I came to Lahsa to try to make it better, don't make excuses and put it on the road to improvement,” she said. “The hard decisions have to be made. Change has to be pursued.”
Vaughn Henry's lawyers filed a $3.5 million settlement opening request, saying the financial resolution would help the agency avoid “long-term, expensive lawsuits.” The same attorney received a preliminary offer of $1.5 million from Dixon.
The two letters noted: “In Lahsa’s recent termination, there has been a high public and media interest and will undoubtedly have a profound impact on many city and county officials.”
Lahsa's board settled the claim in March, agreeing to pay Dixon $450,000 and Vaughn Henry $350,000. Lahsa paid $200,000 in settlement, and insurance covered the rest.
LAIST first reported the settlement requirements and settlement amounts, but revisited key details. Lahsa released a more complete version of the demand letter on Wednesday, with a much less revision rate, amid continued pressure from public radio stations.
Vaughn Henry, in the new unedited claim, claimed that Adams Kellum failed to successfully delete two emails sent to her by Mayor Karen Bass. Vaughn Henry also claimed that Adams Kellum became “extremely addicted and received ‘Land Dance’ from a female consultant who had just hired to work for Lahsa.”
Lahsa said in a statement that there were no complaints about misconduct in Adams Kellum in Washington, D.C., and in an interview he said that the claims were not the case.
“I didn't do that,” she said. “It's not how I use myself as a professional.”
The release of letters was during the turbulent times of Lahsa. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors pulled more than $300 million from the agency after it voted last month to pass an audit of its financial oversight. A few days later, Adams Kellum announced that she would resign for 120 days.
Now, as her imminent departure approaches, Adams Kellum has to fight allegations of staff fired from the agency more than a year ago.
Vaughn Henry, a former LAHSA data management expert, accused Adams Kellum of asking her to delete two emails Bass sent to her from her personal email account in October 2023. Vaughn Henry said she refused and told Adams Kellum that the agency had a seven-year retention policy for all emails.
Vaughn Henry believes [Adams] The claim notes that Kylum eventually terminated her revenge for refusing to violate the retention policy and removing the bass mayor’s “email”.
In the request letter, Dickson said Adams Kellum hired unlimited “relatives” to senior positions, including seven employees from the St. Joseph Center, and Venice-based Homeless Services Agency Adams Kellum has been leading the way.
Dixon said her decision to challenge Adams Kellum’s recruiting practices made her a target of “bad treatment and revenge” and ultimately ended her termination.
She said Adams Kellum said she asked four St. Joseph’s colleagues to go to Lahsa with her when she was recruited by the agency in 2022.
“I know when I came to Raha, we had a lot of work,” she said. “And I don’t believe I don’t have enough time to do it alone and not a team that can help us succeed.”
Adams Kellum also said she did not ask for any news from the mayor to be deleted.
The bass assistant did not respond to the New York Times’ inquiries about allegations against Adams Kylum.
