(Omaha, NE) -- The City of Omaha will have to pay a former Omaha Police officer nearly $1 million after a judge denies the department's appeal in a discrimination case.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Joseph Bataillon denied the motion for a new trial filed by OPD and Police Chief Todd Todd Schmaderer over the firing of former OPD Captain Kathy Belcastro-Gonzalez. Belcastro-Gonzalez's suit claimed she was passed over for a promotion twice, because she had filed complaints about sexual harassment while on the job. The department claimed she didn't get the promotions due to poor job performance.
Tuesday ruling sided with a federal jury's findings, which supported Belcastro-Gonzalez's discrimination claims. The City of Omaha will have to pay Belcastro-Gonzalez $680,000 in lost wages and $280,000 in legal fees.