Lesbian Police Officer Wins Day in Court
A lesbian police officer’s lawsuit against her police department can go trial, a Los Angeles judge has said.
Shelby Feldmeier claims male officers made frequent and offensive remarks about homosexuality while she was working as a probationary officer at Wilshire Station.
Superior Court Judge Edward A. Ferns rejected a defence motion to dismiss the case on Wednesday and set a trial date for May 12th.
There remains a strong possibility of Ms Feldmeier and the city settling the case before then, however.
The officer claims that, along with making insulting remarks about homosexuality to her, her colleagues asked her if she was gay.
She says her supervisors and then-deputy chief Michael Berkow did not take her complaint about the harassment seriously. Once Mr Berkow’s promise to investigate failed to materialise, she had no option but to file the lawsuit, she says.
Ms Feldmeier’s lawsuit, which was filed in January 2006, seeks damages from the city for alleged wrongful termination and retaliation.
