LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A Kentucky court found state officials discriminated against a disabled police recruit from Grayson County in a lengthy legal battle that ended up costing taxpayers thousands of dollars.

Chance Anthony, who was born without his right hand, filed a discrimination lawsuit in 2021 against the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training, accusing former commissioner Nicolai Jilek of committing crimes by ordering officials to change his testing scores and keep him from graduating. 

His status was changed from "graduate" to "departed/failure" despite ranking near the top of his class after Jilek took over as commissioner in 2020, according to court records and testimony in the lawsuit. Jilek, now a major commanding the Louisville Metro Police Department's training division, was not a defendant in the lawsuit. 

The case was settled this week for $250,000. 

"All you have to do is just keep your heart in it and do the right thing, and you will be rewarded in the end, and we may not know what that reward is," Anthony said Thursday. "I'm very fortunate, for me, that, after six years, this is exactly what I hoped it would be. I look forward to being back on the road."

After several years of fighting to get back the police certification he earned, Anthony is now officially working for the Grayson County Sheriff's Office.

In a statement, LMPD said it "respects the judicial process" and stands behind Jilek.

"Major Jilek remains in his current role, and Chief Humphrey is confident in his ability to carry out his duties," the statement continued. "We continuously evaluate personnel and training practices to ensure accountability, professionalism, and the highest standards for those who serve our community."

The Department of Criminal Justice Training also released a statement in response to the settlement, saying it was "satisfied that justice was achieved in its settlement" with Anthony.

"It is the policy of the Department to work with all applicants to accommodate any special needs without jeopardizing the safety of either the recruit or the public," the statement concluded.

Anthony grew up wanting to be in law enforcement, like his dad and brother before him, preparing at an early age by riding along with troopers and visiting the state police post in Elizabethtown. 

Even though he was born without the portion of his right arm below the elbow, Anthony majored in criminal justice in college and moved closer to his goal when the city of Leitchfield hired him as a police recruit in 2019.

He then enrolled in the Department of Criminal Justice Training's academy in Richmond, where he won two awards for excellence and was told he had graduated. But when it came time for the graduation ceremony, Anthony's dream took a nightmarish turn: He said he was pulled aside and told by the head of the state training department that he actually failed.

While the decision was under appeal, Anthony was granted a waiver and worked at the Leitchfield Police Department. But when the DOCJT made a decision and refused his certificate, Leitchfield terminated Anthony's employment.

In March 2025, a judge agreed that Anthony was discriminated against and that the training academy could not win the case "under any circumstances." Franklin Circuit Court Judge Thomas Wingate granted Anthony summary judgement, meaning a trial is not needed because the evidence was overwhelming. 

Despite passing tests and being listed as a graduate on the training academy's computer, Jilek claimed Anthony failed due to his handicap, the judge wrote in his order.

"The record provides ample illustrations that lead to the conclusion that (Anthony) was discriminated against on the basis of his disability," Wingate ruled.

In fact, the ruling says Anthony "passed various graded tests that Commissioner Jilek claimed he failed due to his handicap."

The lawsuit claimed Jilek never observed what Anthony could do at the academy. Instead, after observing Anthony's appearance, the former commissioner "simply made the assumption" that Anthony could not perform as an officer because of his disability.

Moments before Anthony was to graduate, the lawsuit claims, Jilek pulled him aside and told him his graduation folder would not contain a graduation certificate and he was not to tell any of the other graduates because "it might upset them." Anthony was then sent home.

Anthony previously said the lawsuit wasn't about money, but his ongoing desire to be a police officer. 

Jilek faces more accusations of discrimination

Jilek was also named in an additional discrimination lawsuit filed against Kentucky state government, though not as a defendant.

Danny Jackson served more than 30 years in law enforcement, from stints at the Covington Police Department to a U.S. Department of Justice police officer in Iraq. But when he came back to Kentucky in 2022 to work as an officer for the Radcliff Police Department, he had to re-qualify at the state's criminal justice academy in Richmond, just as he had done when he first began his career in 1989.

However, Jackson was dismissed from the academy and told he was "unsafe on the range" and had "failed," according to the lawsuit filed in 2025 in Franklin Circuit Court against Kentucky state government.

The suit from Jackson, who was born with two fingers on one hand and one on the other, marks the second such case alleging that the academy discriminated against recruits during the four years Jilek was in charge from 2020-24.

Jackson's lawsuit accuses Jilek of refusing to allow him to continue his training because of his disability. Court records say when Jackson went to a training officer to explain how he is able to fire and handle his weapon, he was not allowed to show the trainer.

Jackson didn't give up after being told he failed, as officers are allowed to retake the training within a year. 

Jackson previously said he understands the skepticism some might have because of his disability but said his record has proven he can do anything other officers can do, with certain accommodations, and excel.

Over the course of his career, he has worked for the Louisville jail, spent 16 years as a Covington officer, deployed overseas with the United Nations as an International Peace officer and served with the U.S. defense, state and justice departments, among other jobs, according to his resume included in court records.

When he came back for a second chance at the academy, he said he provided Jilek and the training director a letter reminding them of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This time, he completed his training and passed, scoring a 92 out of 100 on the shooting range.

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