Settlement in lawsuit involving sex discrimination

GLASTONBURY — The town council has authorized settlement of a sex discrimination lawsuit brought by a former police sergeant.

Town Manager Richard Johnson said Tuesday that he could not comment on a dollar amount or say anything more about the pending settlement with Kristin Shubert.

Shubert complained to the state Commission on HumanRights and Opportunities in 2017 that a male officer was promoted to lieutenant over her, even though she scored highest on an exam and had more experience.

In 2018, Shubert filed a gender discrimination lawsuit in U.S. District Court when her complaint to the CHRO failed to resolve the issue. Now an attorney with the Ment Law Group in Hartford, Shubert said Tuesday that she was “unable to comment at this time.”

Her suit said she was the top scorer on on a test for lieutenant in October 2016, but the promotion went to a male sergeant with less seniority and supervisory experience, Kevin Szydlo.

Thesuit also described a December 2016 episode in which thenChief David Caron abruptly retired after The Courant confronted him about photos of nude women he had sent to friends on his official department email.

“Caron’s depiction of women as sex objects exemplified his attitude towards females and the attitude of the male-dominated Department management,” the lawsuit said.

Shubert claimed lost wages, emotional distress damages, attorneys’ costs and “such other relief as the court may deem just and proper.”

In a formal response filed in the now-defunct CHRO case, lawyers for the town said Shubert wasn’t promoted for reasons that included “lack of leadership ability; indecisive, incorrect decision-making despite law enforcement experience; timid in confrontations; morale low on shift supervised at time of promotion; [and] lack of operational supervisory experience.”