Apr 6
$10M Payout to Lesbian Former Cop for Workplace Harassment, Claims Fellow Officer Put Her in Danger
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
San Diego is paying out $10 million to Ashley Cummins, a lesbian former police officer who claims the city's cop culture includes male officers expecting female colleagues to sexually service them. Cummins also alleges that a fellow officer put her life in danger when he purposefully neglected to subject a murder suspect to a weapons search, then didn't warn her about the omission.
Her lawsuit says that "Many of the male officers and supervisors indicated that if female officers wanted to fit in at NCPD, they either needed to be submissive to the male officers or sleep with them," local NBC affiliate San Diego 7 relayed.
"According to the suit, Cummins, who's openly gay, dealt with colleagues and supervising sergeants, especially within her squad, who harassed her between March of 2020 to January of 2021," the news station added.
"Cummins alleged she was passed over for a position with the department's K-9 unit in favor of a male officer with less experience," NBC News reported, "and she said she and other female officers were discouraged from reporting harassment and gender discrimination, according to court documents."
The suit named as plaintiffs "National City Police Department; the city of National City, California; and 50 unnamed defendants," NBC News detailed.
"A San Diego jury found the department liable, awarding the former officer $10 million in damages after a trial," San Diego 7 recounted.
In response, the police force's lawyer, Barry Schultz, told the media that the city goverment "is extremely disappointed with the outcome and is currently reviewing all of the legal options, including a possible appeal."
Of the city's police force, Schultz added that it "remains committed to ensuring a fair and inclusive workplace for all employees."
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
