Judge Upholds $2M Verdict in Boston Police Gender Discrimination Suit

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A federal judge has upheld the verdict that awarded a high-ranking Boston police detective $2 million after she accused her former boss of gender discrimination, harassment and retaliation.

U.S. District Court Judge Leo Sorokin denied the city’s attempts to appeal the November verdict that ruled Lt. Detective Donna Gavin proved her claims against the Boston Police Department and her former boss, Cpt. Detective Mark Hayes, The Boston Globe reported Wednesday.

Sorkin said the city’s arguments were legally flawed.

The city will also have to pay Gavin’s attorney fees, which amount to $1.3 million, according to court documents.

The lawsuit alleged that Gavin was targeted at her workplace because of her gender. She also claimed that Hayes’ attempted to get her transferred to another department when she filed a complaint about his treatment of her.

Gavin’s attorney, Nick Carter, said Gavin and her team are happy the court upheld the jury’s verdict.

“Lieutenant Detective Donna Gavin was brave to take on this fight against gender discrimination, which has been a hard and long fight,” Carter said.

A spokesperson for Boston mayor Michelle Wu said the city will review the court’s decision. The Boston police department directed questions to the mayor’s office.