Jury: State Police trooper suffered gender-based bias

The plaintiff sued the State Police and a fellow trooper after a series of investigations stemming from her discovery in 2016 of sexually explicit material stored on a personal hard drive the fellow trooper had connected to a State Police computer.

The plaintiff reported the matter to supervisors, prompting an internal investigation that ultimately led to the fellow trooper’s permanent transfer out of the State Police academy, where the plaintiff had been a defensive tactics instructor.

The fellow trooper later filed his own complaint, accusing the plaintiff of misconduct for deploying a taser at him during a training cleanup months earlier. The plaintiff admitted firing an inert cartridge as a prank but maintained the complaint was retaliatory.

The State Police sustained the charge against the plaintiff, permanently transferred her out of the academy, and later issued her a written reprimand.

In July 2024, the Appeals Court vacated summary judgment on the plaintiff’s disparate treatment claims under the state anti-discrimination law and Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act while affirming her hostile work environment and retaliation claims.

After a nine-day trial, a Suffolk County jury found the plaintiff experienced gender-based bias.

Action: Employment
Injuries alleged: Discrimination, emotional distress
Case name: Downey v. Massachusetts State Police
Court/case no.: Suffolk Superior Court/No. 1884CV01875
Jury and/or judge: Jury/Judge Anthony Campo
Demand: $950,000
Highest offer: $0
Amount: $11 million
Date: Dec. 17, 2025
Attorneys: Leonard Kesten and Erica Brody, of Brody, Hardoon, Perkins & Kesten, Boston (for the plaintiff)