Louisville police recruit received nude photo and was sexually harassed by two superiors, lawsuit says | Detailed

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A Louisville Metro Police officer has filed a lawsuit against the police department, alleging she was sexually harassed by two male supervisors during her first year on the job, with one sending her a picture of his penis.

Officer Christine Silk claims she was touched inappropriately, asked in front of other officers if she had to “prostitute herself for child care,” sent inappropriate text messages, asked to hug a supervisor who had an erection, and asked by the same officer to read him sexual fantasies he had written about her, among other allegations.

One of the officers has been reprimanded and transferred, while another is currently under investigation, according to the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Jefferson Circuit Court.

LMPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The lawsuit comes just days after LMPD Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel was placed on leave by Mayor Craig Greenberg for failing to handle allegations of “sexual harassment in the workplace” by Major Shannon Lauder.

Attorney Sara Collins, who represents Silk, said in the lawsuit and in an interview that the complaints are part of a larger problem involving police fostering a culture that tolerates sexual harassment.

“Sexual harassment is a problem at LMPD, from the top level of leadership down to the rank and file,” Collins said in an interview Tuesday. “It’s a sexualized, misogynistic culture. There have been numerous sexual harassment verdicts, and the city has paid out millions of dollars to victims.”

And she noted that the Department of Justice has found that LMPD does not properly investigate allegations of sexual misconduct within the department.

“We found numerous cases in which the LMPD failed to initiate administrative investigations consistent with criminal investigations into reports of sexual misconduct and domestic violence by officers,” the Justice Department’s March 2023 report said.

The lawsuit also mentions other cases of sexual harassment involving female police officers, including a $1.2 million settlement in 2019 with a lieutenant who received unsolicited sexually explicit photos.

“Nothing mattered,” Collins said. “It’s high time the LMPD implemented a zero-tolerance policy against officer-to-officer sexual harassment.”

The lawsuit alleges that Silk was in her first week as a recruit last year when one of her instructors, Officer Dale Cottongim, began asking her inappropriate questions about being a single mother.

According to the lawsuit, Cottongim suggested to her classmates that Silk should “prostitute herself out of child care” and “go on a date, take a guy home, sleep with him, and then she would take care of child care.”

After Silk told a sergeant about the behavior, an internal investigation concluded that Cottongim had violated LMPD policies regarding disorderly conduct and courtesy, the lawsuit states. He was acquitted of sexual harassment charges.

Cottingrim received a reprimand and was removed from the training unit, according to a copy of his disciplinary file.

“The idea that (these statements) do not violate the sexual harassment policy is absurd,” Collins said.

The lawsuit also alleges that internal investigators acted in a “demeaning” manner when questioning Silk about the allegations and “seemed to imply or suggest that she had done something wrong.”

After Silk graduated from the academy, she began training with Officer Justin LeMon, who made inappropriate comments and advances toward her, the lawsuit says.

The married LeMon collided with Silk’s beasts and tried to lift up her shirt, the lawsuit says.

Another time, while driving, he allegedly forced Silk to read a sexual fantasy about her that he had written down in the notes section of his phone.

In addition, LeMon attempted to hug Silk while saying he had an erection and told her to look at it, the lawsuit states.

And the lawsuit includes text messages sent to Silk requesting a nude photo and a redacted image of LeMons’ penis.

“I received no response whatsoever (last name) and was sweating (laughing emoji),” LeMon wrote, according to screenshots in the lawsuit, a day after he allegedly sent a picture of his penis.

Although Silk did not initially file a complaint because she feared being ostracized by other police officers, she feared that his behavior toward other young female police officers would be repeated and told another female police officer about the incidents.

That officer wrote a memo to a sergeant on Dec. 12, 2023, describing the “inappropriate” behavior, the lawsuit says. No action was taken.

Afterwards, Silk said, she was retaliated against and denied a request for a specific assignment because of rumors that she had had a sexual relationship with an officer in the same unit.

In April, Silk filed a complaint against LeMon and, according to the lawsuit, LeMon was placed on “emergency suspension.”

Collins said the department did not tell Silk where LeMon was working during his administrative transfer.

The lawsuit calls for a jury trial and unspecified financial compensation.

Silk, a U.S. Army veteran, is currently on leave pending the investigation into the fatal shooting in which she and two other police officers shot a man with a knife at 4700 Crawford Avenue in May.

Nicholas Pierce, 43, was shot and killed on May 10 after he attacked officers and refused to drop the knife, police said.

“She understands the dangers and risks that the outside world presents to police officers,” Silk said. “She never anticipated dangers and risks within the thin blue line.”

This story may be updated.

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