Fort Oglethorpe’s Lone Female Police Sergeant Sues City in Sexual Harassment Case
Sgt. Tammy Davis from the Fort Oglethorpe police department has pursued her sexual harassment lawsuit against the city, as reported by timesfreepress.com. In the lawsuit filed by her sexual harassment attorney, the sergeant alleges that she was made to work in a hostile environment by her higher ups and elected officials of the city because she was a woman.
The plaintiff amended her lawsuit which was filed in May 2013 but was put on hold as the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) who conducts investigations prior to allowing complainants to file a lawsuit, required to finish conducting investigations in her case. If you even think you have been sexually harassed, you can find some incredible information on this topic right here and a golden sexual harassment lawyer.
Sues city on multiple grounds
In her amended lawsuit, Davis who is the only female officer in the department alleges that she was unduly intimidated and threatened to be sacked by city officials while her male counterparts were never disciplined even though they broke the same rules. She is suing the city on various grounds, which includes violation of the Civil Rights Act, breach of contract, and violation of the employee handbook.
The EEOC gave her the permission to sue in June although she had filed the complaint seven moths seven months after she alleged that Charles Sharrock, the former City Councilman began to sexually harass her in October 2012. She claims that on the pretext of hugging her he rubbed her back and kissed her on the cheek at City Hall. He was voted out by the council in November 2012 following two more complaints by other female city employees. Sexual harassment attorneys were content with this but the punishment was not quite enough.
Plaintiff claims sexual discrimination
Davis alleges that Sharrock wasn’t the only one to treat her with disrespect. In one incident mentioned in the lawsuit, Davis states that she was left with no choice but to drive through the flooded City Hall parking lot in a police cruiser since it was the only exit. As a result, the cruiser’s motor was damaged. When it was brought to the notice of the city councilmen, they ordered Police Chief David Eubanks to terminate her.
However, Eubanks refused to do so and issued a written warning. In the city’s defense, one of the council members at the time, Louis Hamm, said that no one among the officials had the authority to order or pressure the police chief to fire Davis.
When Davis was pregnant with her first child, she claims that the council told the police chief to have her patrol vehicle removed. The plaintiff was suspended for five days on one occasion in 2012 when she crashed her patrol car. However, the city officials failed to take cognizance when another male officer met with the same fate.
A tough work environment
There are several other instances of discrimination mentioned in the lawsuit filed by Davis’ sexual harassment lawyer, which includes harassment in the office. She alleges that former interim Police Chief Jeff Holcomb retaliated against her for filing a lawsuit in the city and looked for the slightest excuse to fire her. Davis was allegedly pulled up for retaining three cell phones in her office which was meant as evidence in a child pornography case. However, other male investigators who did the same were not subject to an internal investigation like she was.
