Police officer sues over nude photo that other cops falsely said was her, CA suit says

A Los Angeles Police Department captain said in a lawsuit that her fellow officers shared a nude photo of a woman who looked like her, creating a hostile work environment.

Capt. Lillian Carranza filed an initial lawsuit in January 2019 for sexual harassment, alleging that the LAPD knew a nude photo was being shared around the department but didn’t notify her.

“Due to the large-scale and mostly anonymous nature of the actions of LAPD employees targeting me related to the nude photograph, I have been left to constantly wonder and worry about whether all the employees I encounter as I go about carrying out my duties with LAPD have participated in or observed the circulation of the nude picture in question in the department,” Carranza said in a declaration in opposition to Los Angeles’ motion to dismiss the lawsuit, which is scheduled to be heard Dec. 8 in Los Angeles Superior Court, the Los Angeles Daily News reported.

Defense attorney Mark Waterman wrote in court papers that the lawsuit should be dismissed, according to the publication.

“It is undisputed that (Carranza) did not see or have knowledge that the subject photo was in her immediate workplace, that no one shared the subject photo with her in her immediate workplace and that she was not directly subjected to any harassing conduct — not even gawking — in her workplace,” Waterman wrote. “She has presented no evidence that her direct work environment was permeated by abusive sexual harassment.”

Carranza said she found out that the photo was being shared in November 2018 and “was shocked and deeply humiliated to learn that a nude, sexually explicit photograph of a woman falsely identified as Plaintiff was circulating amongst LAPD employees,” the complaint said.

According to the lawsuit, Carranza submitted a complaint of harassment and discrimination to LAPD’s Internal Affairs Department about the employees “who disseminated the nude, sexually photograph” of the woman falsely identified as Carranza.

Carranza said the LAPD was “dismissive” about her complaints and “improperly minimized her claims at the outset as uncorroborated and unsupported.” She also said that the department didn’t take action to stop the harassment despite her requesting that they do so.

The LAPD didn’t send “any communications to condemn the dissemination of nude photographs purported to depict female Department employees or to threaten discipline against any employees taking part in such conduct,” according to the lawsuit.

Carranza said that due to the harassment she experienced at work and the lack of action by the department, she suffered “severe damage to her reputation and to experience physical symptoms of stress,” making it difficult for her to do her job, the lawsuit said.

This story was originally published November 30, 2020 at 2:28 PM with the headline "Police officer sues over nude photo that other cops falsely said was her, CA suit says."