A former Tennessee police officer who was fired following revelations of casual sex between sworn, often-duty personnel, alleged in a federal lawsuit that she was subjected to “sexual grooming” at work.
Maegan Hall, who admitted to investigators that she participated in sexual contacts with four officers — two of whom were her superiors — filed suit Monday in U.S. District Court in Nashville.
It mentions the city of La Vergne, former police chief Burrel “Chip” Davis and former Sgts. Lewis Powell and Henry “Ty” McGowan. The suit alleges that the defendants deprived Hall of due process and violated federal law against the sharing of intimate images online and across state lines.
La Vergne Mayor Jason Cole launched an internal investigation in December after learning that Hall had had “intimate relationships” with other members of the department, according to an outside investigation commissioned by the city. She told superiors about the encounters at the time, according to an external investigation by a law firm.
The sexual activity, according to the investigation, included a hot tub party on a houseboat attended by at least three other officers and the sharing of nude photos of Hall and other officers, the findings of which were included in the lawsuit.
Some of the other encounters took place on city property, that investigation found.
Hall, Powell, McGowan and two other officers were fired in late December and three others were suspended.
Davis was fired in early February after an outside investigation found he knew what was going on but had not disciplined the officers, the city said in a statement at the time.
According to the lawsuit, Davis attempted to have sex with Hall and discussed plans to have sex with her with one of her superiors in text messages.
“During her tenure, Ms. Hall was assaulted by men in the department, including Sgt. Powell, Sergeant McGowan and Chief Davis,” the indictment said.
The lawsuit argued that Hall was set up and ultimately harmed, both by the intimate interactions and by her subsequent firing, because her work environment was sexually charged.
“From the beginning of her employment, Ms. Hall experienced a work environment permeated with sexual innuendo and sexually explicit conduct,” the filing said.
The document lists a number of other alleged incidents that contributed to what it described as a “sexually coercive environment,” which the document said affected Hall’s mental health.
The indictment alleged that male colleagues discussed women’s attractiveness and exchanged stories of their intimate experiences, that an officer told Hall’s superior that he wanted to have sex with her, and that two officers exchanged photos of their genitals in her presence.
A superior, unnamed as a defendant, said he wanted to see all of Hall’s tattoos, including those covered in clothing, and asked to meet her off duty, the lawsuit alleged.
Attempts to reach Davis, Powell and McGowan were unsuccessful.
Attorney Wesley Clark, who filed the suit on Hall’s behalf, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A representative of the police union, the Fraternal Order of Police, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. The union said earlier in February that there would be no additional statements.
The lawsuit does not specify the damages sought, but says it will ultimately be for lost wages and medical expenses, as well as compensation for sharing her nude photos and for emotional distress, mental suffering and “loss of joy in life”.
After the chief was fired in February, the mayor Cole complained about the scandal.
“There are no words to describe the disappointment and frustration I and other city leaders felt,” he said at the time, according to Nashville-based NBC affiliate WSMV. “Officers are held to a higher standard; even more is their leader.”