ST. LOUIS — A police officer is suing Manchester city officials and her superiors, alleging gender discrimination, hostile work environment and retaliation.
Sheree Waterhouse filed a complaint March 7 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri against the city of Manchester/Manchester Police Department, Timothy Walsh and Andy Hixson, alleging breach of good faith and fair dealing.
According to the complaint, since September 2011, Waterhouse has suffered mental anguish, inconvenience, humiliation, embarrassment, loss of enjoyment of life, stress and loss of professional reputation, caused by Walsh's manipulation of the promotion process in favor of his personal choices, despite the plaintiff being the most qualified for promotion to lieutenant.
Additionally, the suit says, Waterhouse was further harmed by Hixon's failure, in his duty as a city administrator, to investigate and act upon the plaintiff's complaints.
The plaintiff alleges the defendants refused to promote her because of her gender, refused to provide her with a valid explanation for their decision not to promote her, refused to follow proper promotion process, and subjected the plaintiff to disparate treatment, demotion and retaliation.
Waterhouse seeks trial by jury, equitable relief, monetary damages, punitive damages, costs of action and attorney fees. She is represented by attorney John M. Lynch of The Law Offices of John M. Lynch LLC in Clayton, Missouri.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri Case number 17-cv-00843