The Chicago Sun-Times
CICERO, Ill. — A Cicero Police officer says she has been subjected to sexual harassment and unwanted sexual advances from her supervisor, as well as Town President Larry Dominick, for the past two years.
After complaining of a hostile work environment, Janidet Lujano claims she was demoted.
According to a lawsuit filed in federal court Monday against the town of Cicero, Dominick, Cicero Police Chief Anthony Iniquez and Auxiliary Police Chief Moises Zayas, Lujano has “on a continuing and ongoing basis since 2005 . . . been subjected to repeated and pervasive sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation.”
In addition, the suit alleges, “because she refused to succumb to Dominick’s and Zayas’s sexual advances, and in retaliation for her political affiliation and refusal to attend precinct captain meetings, Lujano was demoted from the rank of sergeant to auxiliary police officer.”
“The allegations are ridiculous,” said Cicero Town spokesman Dan Proft, who argued Lujano had been an auxiliary police sergeant. “This is totally without merit.
“Larry Dominick doesn’t speak to women like this,” Proft said Monday night. “Miss Lujano wanted to be made a full-time police officer. This just shows the length of what people will go to when they don’t get what they want.”
Comments about breasts
Lujano joined the Cicero Police force in 1999 and was terminated in January 2004 “due to political reasons under the [then] existing administration,” the suit claims.
Dominick was elected town president in May 2005 and Lujano was rehired by the town a month later as an auxiliary police officer. From there, she was promoted to sergeant.
Much of the alleged harassment detailed in the suit centers around Lujano’s physical appearance.
According to the suit, Zayas “subjected [her] to such offensive, unwelcome, and physically and sexually abusive behavior, including, but not limited to ... unwanted sexual comments, such as saying to her: ‘You’ve got big t--s . . . ‘ “
The suit alleges that “from June 2005 through late 2006, Dominick constantly made comments to Lujano and others that were sexually offensive about Lujano, including about the size of her breasts . . . among other sexually offensive comments.”
In one instance, the suit claims Dominick propositioned Lujano while they were at the Hawthorne Race Course in Cicero in June 2006. Dominick “whispered into Lujano’s ear that he wanted to have a threesome with her and another woman he had seen at Hawthorne on numerous occasions,” according to the suit.
It also alleges that “on one occasion, Dominick told Lujano that he was watching her through his video camera in his office and commented about how big her breasts looked in her vest. Lujano complained. In response, Dominick started to laugh and said he should not have said that, but then said ‘those things are huge.’ ”
On Aug. 31, 2006, the suit claims “Dominick told her he wanted to take her to the Sybaris [a ‘romantic getaway’ hotel] and if not her, then her mother.”
Lujano was demoted from sergeant to auxiliary police officer in January 2007, according to the suit.
She wrote to Iniquez to question the demotion and complain about the sexual harassment from Zayas and Dominick, but she received no response, the suit charges.
Efforts to reach Iniquez and Zayas for comment were unsuccessful.
The suit seeks unspecified damages.
Copyright 2007 Chicago Sun-Times