A federal jury awarded $2.3 million to a Los Angeles police officer who said she was sexually harassed and gave birth to a stillborn child because of the stress, reports the Los Angeles Times. Melissa Borck, 45, said she suffered discrimination and abuse while working in a traffic division and and was retaliated against for reporting the harassment.
She said a fellow officer pushed her head to his groin and said, “I thought you’d never ask.” Male officers ordered female officers to pick up dry cleaning, lunch, or coffee for them, she alleged. When Borck became pregnant, male colleagues commented on the size of her breasts and asked if she would breast-feed them. Borck she and fellow female officers continue to face harassment and retaliation from the department. The verdict includes $1 million in economic damages, and $1.3 million in non-economic loss, including emotional distress. In November, the city paid $2.25 million to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by an officer of the police canine bomb unit.