LAWSUIT: LMPD officer sexually harassed at 'adult pool party' by superiors in open marriage

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Louisville police officer has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the department and a former supervisor and her husband, claiming they were "grossly inappropriate" in making sexual comments and advances toward her.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday on behalf of Sgt. Lauren Carby, claims Maj. Shannon Lauder and her husband, Lt. Jeff Lauder, bragged about their sexual exploits with others in the department and in August 2020 had an "adult only" pool party with members of the Domestic Violence Unit and sex crimes detectives where Jeff Lauder made sexual advances toward Carby.

Shannon Lauder has herself complained in May that she was sexually harassed by a major, prompting Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg last week to place Metro Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel on paid administrative leave for how the chief "handled a workplace sexual harassment allegation."

In audio of a May 22 meeting with her command staff, the chief promoted a male officer to lieutenant colonel right after Lauder had accused him of sexual harassment.

During an afternoon press conference, Mayor Craig Greenberg acknowledged Shannon Lauder's sexual harassment complaint was against Major Brian Kuriger who investigated her for the pool party and sexual harassment allegations by Sgt. Carby.

"I am extremely concerned about the multiple sexual harassment allegations within LMPD," he said. "The allegations made public this week in two lawsuits are incredibly upsetting and very difficult to read. We are finalizing significant changes to LMPD's procedures for sexual harassment, allegations, investigation, discipline, training and victim support. Clearly the reforms we were working on were not enough in this area. And we will do more."

The lawsuit Thursday accuses Lauder and her husband of sexual misconduct, alleging the two openly talked about their extramarital relationships and Shannon Lauder told her to come back to the pool party when she tried to leave following her husband's advances.

When Carby went back to the Lauder home, according to the lawsuit, Jeff Lauder was waiting. He led her upstairs where Shannon Lauder was sitting on a couch, "highly intoxicated, and attempting to locate" a detective she was seen kissing earlier at the party.

Shannon Lauder allegedly told Carby that she "had her blessing to engage in a relationship with Jeff," according to the lawsuit.

When Shannon Lauder left the room, Jeff Lauder tried to kiss Carby, the suit claims. Carby allegedly pushed him away and left the home.

Shannon Lauder apologized the next day, telling Carby she had "overshared," according to the suit.

Carby, who was working under Lauder in the sex crimes unit, alleges that rumors swirled about the party and some people suggested she was a "willing participant."

Despite the rumors, there was no immediate investigation into the party, the alleged harassment by Jeff Lauder or the allegations that Shannon Lauder was having a relationship with a detective under her command, the suit claims.

Meanwhile, Carby was repeatedly denied promotions, including one in which Chief Gwinn-Villaroel "refused to appoint Lauren to the position."

"Lauren realized that the last years would have been tremendously easier for her professionally if she had simply slept with Jeff Lauder in 2020," according to the suit.

On May 15, 2024, Carby wrote a memo to the department about the events of the 2020 pool party and other alleged harassment by Shannon and Jeff Lauder. She has not been notified as to whether an internal investigation is ongoing.

In a statement, a spokeswoman for LMPD said, “We will not tolerate sexual misconduct as it runs afoul of our mission to provide a safe work environment for our entire team and city."

The department initiated an investigation in Oct. 2022 into these allegations and "we are extremely frustrated we could not reach a conclusion to this investigation as the court sided with the FOP to temporarily stop the investigation from proceeding," according to the statement.

"We take this — and all — allegations of this nature seriously and will thoroughly complete our investigation and take action. We are currently reviewing all of the allegations in this lawsuit and will share more information as we are able to.”

The lawsuit says the FOP filed a filed a lawsuit against the city alleging that LMPD violated the terms of its Collective Bargaining Agreement with the FOP by improperly initiating an internal investigation based upon confidential and protected information.

An attorney for Shannon Lauder, Jared Smith, said in a statement that the allegations are "unfounded."

"The Lauders have dedicated their careers to honorable policing within LMPD for 16 years," he said. "The timing of Carby’s lawsuit appears opportunistic, based on other recent sexual harassment claims against LMPD. Her allegations are unfounded. LMPD has improperly investigated this internally going back years, as cited by a recent ruling that stems from a suit filed by the FOP. This case is an example of a botched internal investigation that continued based on rumor and innuendo."

This is the second sexual harassment lawsuit filed against LMPD this week.

On Tuesday, Officer Christine Silk claimed she was sexually harassed by two male supervisors during her first year on the job, with one sending her a picture of his penis.

Officer Silk claims she was inappropriately touched, asked in front of other officers if she had to "whore herself out for childcare," sent inappropriate texts, asked to hug a supervisor who had an erection and told by the same officer to read aloud sexual fantasies he had written about her, among other allegations.

Both Silk and Carby argue in their lawsuits that LMPD "maintains a disturbing internal culture where pervasive patterns of harassment, sexual misconduct, predatory behaviors and discrimination by its members have been repeatedly excused, ignored, concealed, fostered, and justified."

Both women are represented by Attorney Sara Collins, who noted in both lawsuits that the Department of Justice found that LMPD does not properly investigate allegations of sexual misconduct within the department.

"We found numerous instances where LMPD did not open administrative investigations to correspond to criminal investigations into reports of sexual misconduct and domestic violence by officers," the DOJ said in its March 2023 report.

The lawsuits also point out other instances in which female officers have been sexually harassed, including a $1.2 million settlement in 2019 to a female lieutenant who received unsolicited sexually explicit photographs.

The lawsuit is seeking unspecified monetary damages and a jury trial.

Retired FBI agent David Beyer is leading an independent investigation into the chief's handling of Shannon Lauder’s allegation. A separate, independent investigation will look into the harassment claim itself. Beyer previously investigated Metro Corrections and sexual harassment allegations at TARC at the request of the Metro Council.

"I will not tolerate sexual misconduct in Louisville Metro Government, including in LMPD," Greenberg said last week.

Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey is leading the department in an "acting chief" role. Humphrey joined LMPD in 2006 and spent several years as a 1st and 6th division officer in the Newburg and Russell neighborhoods. In 2010, he joined the SWAT team and became the commander of the team in 2017.

Mayor Greenberg said that Humphrey has already "taken steps" in the right direction by holding a mandatory training this week for LMPD leadership.

"Much more is coming," the mayor told reporters Thursday.

This story may be updated.