WASHINGTON — Three women who work for the Metropolitan Police Department are suing their employer saying the department "devalues and marginalizes them as both employees and human beings." The lawsuit details allegations of sexual harassment, mistreatment, bullying and retaliation.
The lawsuit was filed by Karen Ervin, Brandy Smith and Diana Walker. The three Black women work at MPD, two as officers and the third as a civilian employee. They say MPD has fostered a culture that strongly discourages workers from reporting poor conduct by male officers while allowing systematic bullying and retaliation.
"The wrath of the “old boys club” is unleashed on women who speak up, principally by their colleagues, with both union support and tacit approval and management using the power of disciplinary action to investigate, threaten and intimidate women at MPD into remaining silent," the lawsuit reads. "The more senior or powerful the abusive male, the more likely that any woman who complains about him will be shunned, bullied into submission, or pushed out of her employment."
One MPD leader in particular is called out in the lawsuit. Alphonso Lee is the head of MPD's Equal Employment Opportunity Department. The MPD website says the department is committed to fostering an environment of inclusion.
"MPD is committed to fostering an environment of inclusion so that every employee feels seen, heard, valued, and understood while providing a workplace free of any demeaning, derogatory, or abusive language, actions, or gestures," the website reads. "This kind of diversity strengthens the department and contributes to a work environment free from harassment, abuse and intimidation."
However, the lawsuit paints a very different picture, claiming the culture of retaliation and bullying of women at MPD was fostered and enabled by Lee, the very man in charge of protecting workers from harassment, abuse and intimidation.
The women suing the department describe Lee as "profoundly misogynistic" with a "particular disdain for Black women."
The lawsuit further claims that EEO counselors who worked for Lee state he manipulated and interceded in investigations of allegations of gender discrimination and sexual harassment to ensure that none were ever substantiated. Those claims added that allegations would not be substantiated unless there was an eyewitness to the conduct and that Lee would go as far as to play recordings of the complaints to the people who were accused of such conduct.
"Mr. Lee required his counselors to record statements from complainants and played those recordings for the very people about whom they had complained, thus encouraging and fostering retaliation, while undermining any shred of complainant confidentiality," the lawsuit reads.
The lawsuit goes on to claim Black women are at the bottom of the "social echelon" at MPD. Courtesies and considerations given to white women or Black men are not given to Black women. The three women allege that Black women at MPD are also expected to tolerate unacceptable behavior by Black male officers to show "racial solidarity."
"Indeed, actions that Black male officers boldly take against Black female officers, they would never contemplate taking against white female officers," the lawsuit reads. "Because MPD has a culture and custom of devaluating Black women, the Black male officers who opt to abuse them know they will never be held accountable for their conduct."
The plaintiffs say in the lawsuit that they are three Black women who found themselves the victims of Black male Lieutenants who "abused their power, engaged in inappropriate advances, and when rebuffed, retaliated."
The 62-page lawsuit goes on to detail alleged behavior at the department, including one instance where the three women accuse EEO Director Lee of refusing to believe a female officer about a complaint of sexual harassment. That officer, identified as a Black woman, was harassed by a superior and later took her own life, the plaintiffs claim.
"It became well-known to potential abusers at MPD that all they had to do to get away with harassment was to do it in private or when their victims were alone," the lawsuit reads.
The lawsuit also cites a March PERF report. The 312-page document was a cultural assessment of the MPD workplace. Part of that assessment, on page 99, is Equal Employment Opportunity Investigations. That part of the report had a message for the department:
"The MPD should act immediately—without waiting for litigation to conclude—to address the culture of retaliation that both sworn and non-sworn personnel attested to when speaking with PERF. It is essential to MPD’s reputation and the organization’s growth and credibility that whistleblowers feel they can alert management to problems without fear of reprisals."
The report recommended an immediate and thorough audit of the EEO department. The department was later moved to be under Internal Affairs while the EEO counseling was moved to under Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI).
The three women are asking for compensatory damages of $1,000,000 each for their claims. Additionally, Karen Ervin is asking for no less than $300,000 for each of her claims.
WUSA9 reached out to MPD for comment and received the following statement:
"It is the policy of the Metropolitan Police Department that we do not comment on pending litigation matters."
The dog, which the lawsuit identifies as a boxer mix named Hennessey, was critically injured in the shooting and later euthanized.