• 17
  • May
    2010

A San Francisco police officer has recently filed a lawsuit against the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) and four sergeants for sexual harassment. Officer Lori Dutra claims that the four officers adversely affected her career and decimated her chances to advance within the organization by writing malicious memoranda about her and passing it to high ranking officers. She is also claiming that she was defamed because of her sexual orientation. 

According to an ABC 7 report, the officer claims the harassment began when the four officers, who are openly lesbians, found out that Dutra was pregnant and planning to marry the baby's father. Dutra was known to have dated both men and women in the past. She expressed to the court in a brief that the group of officers retaliated against her when they found out she was with a man and pregnant. Dutra told the court that the memos questioned her mental and emotional ability to be an officer. 

Attorneys for the defendants say that their clients wrote the memos because they were concerned with Dutra's safety and those of others. After the memos were escalated to management, Dutra was re-assigned to the Behavioral Sciences Unit at Treasure Island Casino and mandated to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

Last Tuesday, the Judge threw out two of four allegations dealing with discrimination based on sexual orientation and harassment. However, the Judge is still hearing arguments around the charges of defamation and intentional affliction of emotional distress. Dutra is currently on maternity leave but the trial continues into next week.

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