LMPD officer at center of ex-chief's departure sues department, mayor

The senior Louisville Metro Police officer whose allegation of sexual harassment by another top cop ignited a firestorm that led to the ouster of Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel last month is suing the department, several officers and Mayor Craig Greenberg alleging a hostile work environment, retaliation and negligence.

Maj. Shannon Lauder, who leads LMPD’s First Division, is joined in the lawsuit by her husband, Jeffrey Lauder, who leads SWAT. Both are on leave pending a sexual misconduct breach-of-policy investigation against them related to events described in their own lawsuit.

Jared Smith, an attorney for the Lauders, filed the lawsuit this week in Jefferson County Circuit Court.

In the 47-page lawsuit, the Lauders allege a “long-time friend” of Shannon’s, LMPD Sgt. Lauren Carby, confronted Jeff at an August 2020 “open house” at the Lauders’ home about her belief that Shannon was having an affair. Following that allegation, the lawsuit said, rumors spread “like wildfire” through the department and resulted in harassment of the Lauders.

The account is at odds with a lawsuit filed last month by Carby that alleged Jeffrey Lauder propositioned her for sex at a pool party at the Lauders’ home with the encouragement of Shannon, who was her boss at the time. As a result, Carby’s lawsuit said, she faced retaliation and came to the conclusion that her life would have been “tremendously easier for her professionally if she had simply slept with Jeff Lauder in 2020.”

Sarah Collins, the attorney representing Carby, said: "The claims in the Lauders' lawsuit against Lauren are nonsensical. LMPD has a history of covering up misconduct of high ranking members, including sexual harassment and other misconduct by Maj. Shannon Lauder and Lt. Jeff Lauder. The Lauders' recent efforts to portray themselves as victims are desperate and without merit. On its face, their verified complaint is problematic for the Lauders themselves."

The Lauders' lawsuit alleges Carby was pressured to file a formal complaint against Shannon Lauder by Mindy Vance, who the Lauder and Carby lawsuits said headed LMPD’s Peer Support Team.

According to the lawsuit, when Carby initially refused to file a formal complaint, Vance shared Carby’s comments with an unnamed major at the department, which the Lauders say violated the Peer Support Team’s confidentiality policy. Vance is alleged to have also shared Carby’s allegations with Gwinn-Villaroel.

Vance then pushed Gwinn-Villaroel, according to the lawsuit, to initiate an internal investigation against Shannon and Jeff Lauder.

That investigation was subsequently halted by a lawsuit by the Fraternal Order of Police on the basis that it began with a breach of confidentiality.

Carby has since filed a formal complaint against the Lauders earlier this year, with that investigation pending.

Vance is further accused by the Lauders of trying to remove Jeff Lauder from his role as SWAT commander at the time.

The lawsuit comes after Shannon Lauder, during a command staff meeting in May, told Gwinn-Villaroel she was sexually harassed and “attacked” by Maj. Brian Kuriger, who oversees LMPD’s internal affairs units. Kuriger is believed to be on administrative leave pending an internal investigation into the allegations made by Lauder.

Gwinn-Villaroel’s handling of that episode led to her suspension and ultimate departure from LMPD, which the former chief said was ordered by Greenberg.

Kuriger, the lawsuit alleges, made “comments about female officers’ bodies, including Shannon’s body” and received “lap dances from female recruits at training academy graduation parties.”

He did not respond to an email from The Courier Journal seeking comment.

Despite previously making sexual comments about Shannon Lauder, the lawsuit alleges, Kuriger was placed in charge of the investigation into the couple’s interaction with Carby. The lawsuit claims Kuriger took the lead in questioning Lauder and “repeatedly cut her off, not allowing her to finish,” followed lines of questioning that “were not rooted in fact or evidence” and did not look into complaints of harassment raised by the couple.

LMPD Director of Communications Angela Ingram emailed a statement to The Courier Journal Tuesday evening.

“LMPD takes seriously any allegations of sexual harassment or retaliation within the department and multiple investigations have been launched and are pending. These investigations are imperative given the conflicting narratives of the recently filed lawsuits alleging malfeasance and sexual misconduct. While LMPD cannot comment on the specifics of the lawsuits, we would like to reiterate that LMPD is committed to conducting expedient, thorough, and impartial investigations of all sexual misconduct allegations once claims are brought to our attention," Ingram said.

Ingram added that LMPD has since implemented an "enhanced multi-tiered approach" that strengthens the department's response to sexual harassment allegations, which includes streamlining the reporting process, mandatory sexual harassment training at all levels, and adopting new procedures for preventing retaliation.

The lawsuit also names Louisville’s mayor as a defendant, alleging that he was negligent in hiring Gwinn-Villaroel and, once she was hired, was negligent in his supervision of her.

The suit referenced Gwinn-Villaroel’s suspension as a member of the Atlanta Police Department for lying and trying to access files related to a narcotics investigation targeting a relative, which was first reported by The Courier Journal in January .

Further, the lawsuit alleges, a memorandum sent by Shannon Lauder outlining “LMPD policy violations, violations of Kentucky law, and general concerns she had regarding [internal affairs] operations,” made its way to the mayor’s office.

However, the lawsuit said, “Mayor Greenberg failed to take any steps to correct the toxicity running rampant through the LMPD at the time.”

More: 'Patriarchal, misogynistic culture': How sexual misconduct proliferated at LMPD

At a press conference Tuesday morning, Greenberg called the allegations that he was negligent in hiring and supervising Gwinn-Villaroel "ridiculous."

He added that Louisville Metro Government was taking all sexual misconduct allegations seriously and that several investigations were ongoing "to get to the bottom of what has been going on at LMPD and across the city, and to find the truth." Greenberg said he would "provide more specific comments" on the lawsuit later Tuesday after he had a chance to read it in its entirety.

Gwinn-Villaroel, who was named as a defendant in the suit, did not respond to a phone call from The Courier Journal.

An attorney for Mindy Vance referred questions to the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office, which did not respond to a request for comment from The Courier Journal.

Reach reporter Josh Wood at jwood@courier-journal.com or on X at @JWoodJourno . Reach reporter Rachel Smith at rksmith@courier-journal.com or on X at @RachelSmithNews . Eleanor McCrary contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: LMPD officer at center of ex-chief's departure sues department, mayor