Council Approves $400K Payment To Female Homicide Detective For Being Sexually Harassed By Colleague

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com)  —   The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved a $400,000 payment to a female homicide detective who said she was sexually harassed by  a male colleague.

Patricia Hauck, who has been assigned to the Los Angeles Police Department's Central Division since 2001, filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court in 2015, alleging she was forced to work in a hostile environment.

Hauck could not be reached for comment, and a spokesman for City Attorney Mike Feuer declined comment.

According to Hauck's lawsuit, Detective William Sera was transferred to Hauck's division in 2011 after a complaint was filed against him at his previous post. The suit alleged he harassed her in 2012-13 with unwanted touching, comments and "other sexual advances.''

Hauck was named the Central Division's Detective of the Year in 2003 and has investigated a number of high-profile cases, including the fatal stabbing of two men in Chinatown last week.

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