(Omaha, NE) -- A jury rules in favor of a former Omaha Police Captain in her lawsuit against the City of Omaha and Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer.
Kathy Belcastro-Gonzalez's suit claimed that she was passed over in 2018 for a promotion due to discrimination. Her lawyers argued that she wasn't promoted due to a 2010 sexual discrimination report that was never resolved.
The city says that Belcastro-Gonzalez was not promoted as a result of poor performance. "The jurors in the lawsuit filed by Kathy Belcastro-Gonzalez have returned a verdict against the City. While this decision is unfortunate, the City thanks the jurors for their service. Despite this verdict, the City maintains its position that Ms. Belcastro-Gonzalez was not promoted as a result of poor performance as a command officer. There was no retaliation by Chief Schmaderer." - Matt Kuhse, City Attorney
The jury awarded Belcastro-Gonzalez lost wages and damages totaling about $700,000. The City says it will appeal the verdict.