A former high-ranking Metrolink executive has filed a lawsuit alleging that he was fired in retaliation for repeatedly calling attention to unsafe maintenance practices within the rail service. Donald Filippi, Metrolink’s former chief operating officer, claims these practices are responsible for at least one collision and two incidents that left hundreds of passengers stranded in tunnels.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, states that Filippi was terminated after he raised concerns to Chief Executive Darren Kettle over “unsafe rail equipment and materials shortages” that he claims violated state and federal requirements. Filippi also alleges he refused to comply with directives he believed would jeopardize passenger safety, asserting that Kettle either downplayed or outright dismissed these risks.
Filippi, a veteran transit executive who joined Metrolink in 2018 after working for Union Pacific Railroad, the California Public Utilities Commission, and the North County Transit District, said he was terminated in June with no prior warning. According to the complaint, he was informed that Metrolink had “decided to go in a different direction.” He is seeking unspecified compensation, including for emotional distress, along with reinstatement, back pay, and a jury trial.
The complaint attributes several incidents to Metrolink’s alleged improper care of its aging fleet. In October 2025, a Metrolink train collided with another near Union Station, resulting in multiple injuries, which the complaint links to a malfunctioning air valve. Filippi alleges that Kettle subsequently refused to approve a fix, citing potential train delays at Union Station.
This past spring, the lawsuit claims, a Metrolink train carrying hundreds of passengers became stuck in a tunnel when a fuel manifold failed. Travelers reportedly waited for over an hour without working lighting or air conditioning and unable to open windows, enduring extreme heat until a second train provided assistance. Months later in July, a similar incident occurred in Anaheim Hills when another train lost power in a tunnel, leading to several passengers being treated for heat exhaustion.
Filippi’s suit further claims that Metrolink routinely replaces broken equipment with used parts from other trains, a practice he argues raises safety risks and idles other trains. He contends that new parts should be used, and the root causes of failures addressed, rather than relying on this system as standard practice. He also alleges Metrolink failed to ensure proper maintenance. The complaint notes that 15 of the rail service’s 61 locomotives have not been refurbished since they were placed into service in the early 2000s, which is “decades beyond the 15-to 30-year refurbishment cycle recommended by the manufacturer.”
Filippi states he raised these concerns to the agency’s executive leadership team in a presentation before the spring incident and again via email afterward. Tensions reportedly escalated between Filippi and Kettle regarding operational and budget disagreements. As an example, the suit claims that in January 2024, Kettle instructed Filippi to resume service after a landslide affected a track in San Clemente, despite the California Public Utilities Commission advising against operation without certain changes. Filippi alleges he refused, stating that “operating trains through an area the CPUC had determined was unsafe risked derailment and loss of life” and that Kettle expressed “clear displeasure and frustration.”
The lawsuit also claims that Kettle and the then-chief financial officer cut approximately $3 million from Metrolink’s budget, impacting funds allocated for its maintenance contractor. Filippi alleges he protested this decision and was later blamed by Kettle and the chief financial officer for mismanaging the contract.
Metrolink stated it does not comment on pending litigation. The regional authority had previously rejected a claim filed by Filippi alleging retaliatory conduct, stating at the time that the claim was not brought “in good faith or with reasonable cause.”
Earlier this year, Metrolink made service cuts due to budget shortfalls, mechanical issues, and supply constraints. The rail network serves Los Angeles, Orange, and four other counties in Southern California, with an operating budget exceeding $350 million. It averages more than 23,000 daily weekday riders systemwide and approximately 235,000 weekend riders.
