LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The actions and conduct of Louisville Metro Police Chief Paul Humphrey were questioned before a Jefferson County judge Monday morning after he was accused of intimidating a witness in an ongoing case.
In 2024, Sgt. Lauren Carby filed a sexual harassment complaint and corresponding civil rights lawsuit claiming her former boss, Maj. Shannon Lauder, and her husband, Lt. Jeff Lauder, hosted an "adult only" pool party at their home with members of SWAT, the Domestic Violence Unit and sex crimes detectives where Jeff Lauder made sexual advances toward Carby.
Ultimately, Jeff Lauder was suspended 15 days for conduct unbecoming an officer. Conduct unbecoming and sexual harassment allegations weren't upheld against Shannon Lauder in LMPD's internal investigation. She retired and left the force.
In a hearing Monday morning, Carby's attorney tried to get a restraining order against Humphrey to block him from talking to witnesses about the case. The filing claims Humphrey called Sgt. Sarah Mantle, who corroborated parts of Carby's story, to a private meeting in April of 2025.
In that meeting, Humphrey allegedly talked about gossip in the department, Mantle's future in LMPD and threatened an internal investigation against her. The conversation came to light in a January deposition for Carby's lawsuit.
"He said something like 'you all were all talking sh** about each other. I could open or thought about opening CUBO (Conduct Unbecoming) cases'," Mantel said in the deposition under oath.
The testimony led to an explosive hearing, with the city's lawyers saying Humphrey did nothing wrong.
"There has been no basis to show he intimidated anyone other than sitting down and talking to an officer," said attorney Mitchel Denhem.
However, Carby's attorney, Sarah Collins, argued the interaction raised concerns about how it was handled.
"(Mantle) met with him alone," Collins said. "He contacted her on her personal cellphone. He told her there was a problem with gossip. How do we fix that? That wasn't at command staff meeting or a unit meeting."
The judge ultimately denied the motion, citing how the meeting in question took place more than a year ago.
"I don't think there's enough information for the protective order that's been tendered," said Judge Julie Kaelin. "There is not enough here for me to say anyone is intimidating a witness."
In a written statement Monday, LMPD said they "respect and and agree with the court's ruling to summarily deny the motion" and said any other comment would be "inappropriate," citing the ongoing lawsuit.
'I'm humiliated'
The 2020 pool party carries a lasting impact on the police department. It was the subject of at least three separate lawsuits, at least two Professional Standards Unit internal investigations and contributed to the ouster of former LMPD Chief Jackie Gwinn-Villaroel.
The 2020 pool party carries a lasting impact on the police department.
Hundreds of pages of investigative records from the two prior PSU cases on the matter were unsealed in court last week.
Carby has never spoken publicly about the party, but the documents reveal what she told investigators about being propositioned for sex.
"Jeff Started hitting on me, standing outside of the pool, talk-commenting about my body, commenting about how long he had been attracted to me," Carby said in the transcripts from her interview with a PSU investigator.
The transcript went on to say Jeff Lauder tried several more times to get her attention, and a handful of fellow officers saw it. According to the investigation, he told Carby both he and Shannon Lauder have people outside their marriage.
Carby claimed he said, "I've already talked to Shannon, I've asked her if I can approach you and she's good with it."
Former LMPD detective Sarah McHugh saw that conversation and told PSU investigators, "He wanted her to enter in a relationship with him."
Carby said she declined Jeff Lauder's advances and later went to leave the party. That's when Shannon Lauder called and it was picked up on Bluetooth in Carby's car. Sgt. Sarah Mantle was in the car and heard the conversation.
"It was like, everything Jeff told you I'm totally good with," Mantle recalled of Shannon Lauder's remarks on the call during her deposition.
Carby told investigators Shannon Lauder told her to return to the party, and she did because of her commanding rank. 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. When Shannon Lauder left the room, Jeff Lauder tried to kiss Carby, the suit claimed. Carby allegedly pushed him away and left the home.
In the days following, investigative records show Shannon Lauder texted Carby saying she overshared, was super embarrassed and asked Carby to keep quiet.
One message from Shannon Lauder said, "I know this isn't your fault we got drunk and said things we should never have said. I really appreciate anything you can do to help."
Another message from Lauder said, "I don't know what to say. I'm humiliated. Everything with (name redacted) is over. We're going to focus on our marriage and pray the rumors don't get out of control."
Despite the rumors in the department, 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, Carby's lawsuit claims.
Investigations started in 2022 after the details of the party were discussed in a peer support meeting meant to improve morale in the domestic violence unit. The River City Fraternal Order of Police union fought to block the PSU case, saying LMPD violated the terms of its Collective Bargaining Agreement with the FOP by improperly initiating an internal investigation based upon confidential and protected information. The FOP won in court.
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, which prompted a second PSU investigation.
In the midst of the second PSU case, Shannon Lauder complained that she was sexually harassed by a major Brien Kuriger. In the audio of a May 22 meeting with her command staff, the chief promoted Kuriger to lieutenant colonel right after Lauder accused him of sexual harassment. Greenberg placed then-Chief Gwinn-Villaroel on paid administrative leave and ultimately asked for her resignation for how she "handled a workplace sexual harassment allegation."
Greenberg named Paul Humphrey interim LMPD Chief immediately following Gwinn-Villaroel's resignation and eventually appointed him to the position permanently.
Carby argued in her lawsuits 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."
The lawsuit also points out other instances in which female officers were sexually harassed, including a $1.2 million settlement in 2019 to a female lieutenant who received unsolicited, sexually explicit photographs.
The Mayor and new police chief announced immediate changes to sexual harassment policies and procedures at LMPD, "specifically focused on more clearly defining sexual harassment, improving and expanding the reporting process, requiring new training, and adding support systems for employees who report sexual harassment."
Chief's findings conflict with investigative record
Chief Humphrey suspended Jeff Lauder for 15 days for conduct unbecoming an officer because of the negative attention the case brought the police department. However, the chief's discipline letter directly conflicts with what his own investigators found.
Chief Humphrey wrote, "although it is unclear exactly what occurred at the party and whether you made unwanted sexual advances to now-Sergeant Carby, the results have had a negative impact on this department."
PSU Detective Jeff Artman wrote in his findings, "A preponderance of the evidence shows the advance likely occurred due to the eyewitness testimony of Sarah McHugh and the reporting of the conduct by Detective Carby to Detectives Mason, Jennings, Mantle and Livers while at the party."
The Lieutenant and Major in PSU both wrote memos to Chief Humphrey saying they agreed with Artman's findings. LMPD declined to answer questions about the conflict between the chief's findings and what the PSU investigation uncovered.
"All of that is ignored," Collins said. "Four witnesses who were there corroborate the claims. No one except the Lauders refute the claims and that is completely ignored and that turns into we can't determine exactly what happened."
LMPD did not substantiate the sexual harassment violations against Jeff or Shannon Lauder saying Carby's career hadn't been negatively impacted. While she was promoted to Major in 2023 Carby, she was passed over for three other job opportunities in the department.
Councilwoman Shameka Parrish-Wright attended Monday's restraining order hearing. Wright said she wants the Metro council to use its subpoena powers and call Chief Humphrey in to testify about the gap between his conclusion and what his investigators found, along with the allegation of witness tampering.
"I'm going to take these issue back to our public safety committee and ask that they come and talk to us about what are they doing internally," Wright said. "How are they trying to make sure everyone is safe and take care of the people when they're not taking care of their own and all these violations are happening."
Parrish-Wright is campaigning for Mayor.
The Louisville Metro Inspector General's office may also take up the matter. Inspector General Ed Harness said he'd previously requested LMPD's PSU files on the Carby case after he received an anonymous compliant, but LMPD refused to turn over the materials.
"The explanation we were provided is that it was a completely internal matter and the department was not obligated to turn the files over to us," Harness said. "We may be revisiting this matter due to a new complaint filed last week."
The Lauders have continually denied Carby's allegation and filed a countersuit.
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