LOS ANGELES (CNS) – A female La Verne police officer is suing the city, alleging an acting captain and a sergeant, both males, have repeatedly harassed her and that management has not done enough to stop the behavior.
Officer Janessa Gonzalez’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit also alleges retaliation, discrimination and failure to correct. She seeks unspecified damages in the suit brought Monday.
A La Verne spokeswoman said the city had no comment on Gonzalez’s suit.
Gonzalez was hired in 2018 and her complaint alleges she has been “subjected to a continuous barrage of sexual comments and advances” from Acting Capt. Cory Leeper and Sgt. Mark Gutierrez. During a briefing, Leeper allegedly commented on Gonzalez’s physique and suggested she work out with him to improve the shape of her posterior, the suit alleges.
During another briefing, Leeper asked Gonzales to stand in front of about 30 SWAT officers and model a pair of pants that he had “approved” for her, leaving her “objectified and humiliated,” according to the suit, which also states that Leeper joked to Gonzalez that she “liked switching out new cars just as much as switching out fiances.”
Leeper also allegedly repeatedly contacted Gonzalez after her complaints to the police chief got his appearance canceled at a conference she attended to ask why he was removed, the suit states.
Gonzalez has requested a shift change to minimize his contact with Leeper, but he has kept his hours aligned with hers, the suit states.
Gonzalez alleges that Gutierrez made comments suggesting that the plaintiff is promiscuous with members of other departments and she also contends he maintained a so-called “cuss jar” where the mention of names of individuals who had been in relationships with Gonzalez resulted in a $1 donation.
Gonzalez has suffered lost income, a damaged reputation and dealt with emotional distress because of her work environment, the suit states.
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