Kristin Crowley, the former Los Angeles fire chief, is taking legal action against the city after being dismissed, alleging that Mayor Karen Bass orchestrated a smear campaign against her following the fatal wildfires of earlier this year.

Crowley was terminated by Bass in February due to purported mishandling of the Palisades Fire, and she accused the mayor of making her a scapegoat, according to a statement released by her attorneys on Wednesday.

“The lawsuit highlights a pattern of deceit, blaming, and undue retaliation that ended the career of a dedicated public servant with 25 years of experience, not due to negligence, but because she spoke the truth,” stated her legal representatives in a press briefing.

Mayor Bass had accused Crowley of failing to mobilize around 1,000 spare firefighters after the blaze broke out, as well as failing to file an after-action report.

But Crowley says Bass was covering for her own choice to cut the Los Angeles Fire Department budget by $17 million — and punishing Crowley for calling attention to the problem.

“[Crowley] told City leadership and the public that Mayor Bass’ budget cuts and the City’s decades of neglect had left the LAFD underfunded, understaffed, and ill-equipped to handle the rising demands of a growing city, especially one at risk of dangerous wildfires,” wrote her attorneys, Genie Harrison and Mia Munro.

The suit alleges the Bass administration violated California labor laws and Crowley’s First Amendment rights.

It asks for unspecified damages exceeding $25,000.

The suit also flatly denies key accusations Bass leveled at Crowley in February: That she failed to conduct an after-action report, that she failed to deploy 1,000 spare firefighters and 40 spare firetrucks, and that she failed to notify the mayor of dangerous weather conditions.