A former Tennessee police officer who was fired amid revelations of casual sex among sworn, often on-duty personnel, alleged in a federal lawsuit that she was subjected to “sexual grooming” at work.
Maegan Hall, who admitted to investigators that she participated in sexual liaisons with four officers — two of whom were her superiors — filed the suit Monday in U.S. District Court in Nashville.
It names the city of La Vergne, former Police Chief Burrel “Chip” Davis and former Sgts. Lewis Powell and Henry “Ty” McGowan. The suit alleges the defendants deprived Hall of due process and violated federal law against sharing intimate images online and across state lines.
La Vergne Mayor Jason Cole launched an internal probe in December after he learned Hall had had “intimate relationships” with other members of the department, according to an outside investigation commissioned by the city. She told superiors about the encounters at the time, according to the external investigation conducted by a law firm.
The sexual activity was alleged to have included a hot tub party on a houseboat attended by at least three other officers and the sharing of nude photos of Hall and other officers, according to the investigation, the findings of which were included in the suit.
Some of the other encounters took place on city property, that investigation found.
Hall, Powell, McGowan and two other officers were fired in late December, and three others were suspended.
Davis was fired in early February after an external investigation concluded he knew what was happening but failed to discipline the officers, the city said in a statement at the time.
The suit alleged Davis tried to have sex with Hall and discussed plans to have sex with her with one of her superiors in text messages.
“During her employment, Ms. Hall was groomed to engage in sexually exploitative activities by men in the department including Sgt. Powell, Sgt. McGowan, and Chief Davis,” the suit alleged.
The suit argued Hall was set up and ultimately harmed, both by the intimate interactions and by her subsequent firing, because her work environment was sexually charged.
“From the beginning of her employment, Ms. Hall experienced a workplace environment permeated with sexual innuendo and sexually explicit behavior,” the filing said.
The document lists a number of other alleged incidents that contributed to what it described as a “sexually coercive environment,” which it said affected Hall’s mental health.
The suit alleged that male colleagues discussed the attractiveness of women and traded stories about their intimate experiences, that an officer told Hall’s superior he wanted to have sex with her and that two officers exchanged photos of their genitals in her presence.
A superior, not named as a defendant, said he wanted to see all of Hall’s tattoos, including ones covered by clothing, and asked to meet her off-duty, the suit alleged.
Efforts to reach Davis, Powell and McGowan were unsuccessful.
Attorney Wesley Clark, who filed the suit on Hall’s behalf, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A representative of the police union, the Fraternal Order of Police, did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment. The union said earlier in February that no additional statements would be forthcoming.
The suit does not specify name damages sought but said it ultimately seeks lost wages and medical expenses, as well as compensation for the sharing of her nude photos and for emotional distress, mental suffering and “loss of enjoyment of life.”
After the chief was fired in February, Cole, the mayor, lamented the scandal.
“There aren’t words to describe the disappointment and frustration felt by myself and other city leaders,” he said at the time, according to NBC affiliate WSMV of Nashville. “Officers are held to a higher standard; even more so is their chief.”