Former Taylor Mill officers Karen Spanyer and Heather Mitchell worked for the department for 16 and 18 years, respectively, and said they were repeatedly passed over for promotions they felt they were qualified for.
The women filed a sex discrimination lawsuit in April of 2019. The point of the suit, said Spanyer, who is now retired, was not for money. It was about making changes.
“I would like to see the policies, maybe, adhered to,” Spanyer said at Wednesday night’s Taylor Mill Commission meeting. “I would like to see some changes as far as maybe some more oversight.”
Commissioners voted at the meeting to settle the lawsuit.
“This directly affects me, and my life, so I thought it was important for me to be here,” Spanyer said at the meeting. “It’s been a long road. The suit wasn’t brought lightly.”
As part of the settlement, Mitchell will receive $125,000 — $100,000 from the department’s insurance carrier and $25,000 from the city — and Spanyer will receive $205,000 — $125,000 from the insurance carrier and $80,000 from the city.
“The city of Taylor Mill is settling the discrimination lawsuit filed by former Police Officers Karen Spanyer and Heather Mitchell,” the commission said in a statement. “The city specifically denies gender played any part in the promotions made within the police department. The city is settling the suit solely to avoid the additional litigation cost, delays and risk associated with civil litigation, and to allow its dedicated professional staff to remain focused on serving the needs of its citizens.”
Police Chief Steve Knauf was not permitted to make a statement at the meeting, and Attorney Jack Gatlin said the official statement was all the city had to say.