California IN BRIEF : NEWPORT BEACH : $17,500 Awarded in Sex Harassment Suit

A former Buena Park Police Department employee was awarded $17,500 in a sexual harassment suit against the city. A Superior Court jury said it believed the city was negligent because no action was taken when Victoria A. Chaney complained of sexual harassment during her seven years as an investigative aide to a detective. But jurors also found that the city and the other defendants did not intentionally inflict emotional distress and did not wrongly fire her. Chaney contended that she was subjected to constant harassment by supervisors. A supervisor once asked if she performed sexual services, she testified. Chaney also testified that male officers often called women “broads, bimbos and bims” and made misogynistic comments. Chaney was fired in 1990 while on a medical stress leave. She alleged that she was fired because she had filed a complaint.