Gay cop wins
discrimination suit

To the tune of $1.5 million, a Manhattan, N.Y., jury ruled in favor of a gay cop who claimed he was jettisoned from his position in the youth-services sector, the New York Post reported this weekend.

The verdict came after James Hall, a two-star assistant chief and one of the New York City Police Department's highest-ranking members, rejected Sgt. Robert Sorrenti for the position involved with the Police Athletic League, DARE, and other programs geared toward young people.

The youth-services commander, Capt. Lori Albunio, expected to appoint Sorrenti to his coveted post due to his exemplary record. However, Hall picked another candidate because he thought Sorrenti was gay, the jury found.

The jury also found that Hall retaliated against Albunio, stripping her of her command without cause, and harassed her and the unit's operations lieutenant, Tom Connors, until they left the NYPD. Both Connors and Albunio, 18-year veterans of the department with several commendations between them, said they believed Hall was blatantly biased and took revenge on them for supporting Sorrenti.

"To encounter a man like this--it was incredible," Connors told the Post. "And to see how the police department protected and promoted him was devastating."

"Sorrenti was an excellent candidate--professional, sincere, honest," Albunio said. "He'd been with a precinct and highway patrol. He was a veteran of Desert Storm. I told Hall he was making a mistake."

The supervisors and Sorrenti are due to get about $500,000 each. The city is appealing. (The Advocate)