The City of Seattle will pay $2.6 million to resolve a lawsuit brought by four female police officers who described years of sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and a workplace culture that systematically failed women within the Seattle Police Department, marking one of the most significant accountability moments for the department’s leadership in recent memory.
The settlement, reached without a trial, closes litigation that began in July 2024 when officers Lauren Truscott, Valarie Carson, Kame Spencer, and Judinna “Jean” Gulpan filed suit against the city. Their allegations reached to the top of the department. Current Lieutenant John O’Neil and former Police Chief Adrian Diaz were accused of grooming and predatory behaviour that the women said contributed directly to a hostile work environment. Former Assistant Chief Dan Nelson was named for alleged gender discrimination. The suit also named Seattle Police Department Human Resources Manager Rebecca McKechnie.
The four officers were not on the periphery of the department when the alleged conduct occurred. All four had served in prominent public-facing roles involving community outreach, recruiting, and media relations, positions that required them to represent the department to the public while alleging they were being mistreated behind closed doors. Carson specifically said former Chief Diaz made repeated comments about her appearance and clothing that she found deeply uncomfortable and inappropriate. Three of the four women remain with the department. One has retired.
Their attorney, Sumeer Singla, described the settlement as overdue accountability. “We are happy to see the City of Seattle take accountability for what was a clear lapse in leadership by the previous administration,” Singla said. He framed the conduct his clients experienced not as a series of isolated incidents but as evidence of something more entrenched. At the time of filing, he described the environment inside SPD as reflecting “a culture of sexism and misogyny.” His clients, he said, are now focused on their futures within the department. “They are committed to serving the City of Seattle and hope for successful careers within the Seattle Police Department.”
The lawsuit did not emerge in isolation. An internal SPD report released in 2024 documented concerns raised by female employees across the department and noted ongoing reports of sexual harassment. The report suggested the four officers were far from alone in what they described experiencing. The city and department had initially pushed back against the claims. Former Chief Diaz called them false through his attorney, pointing to previous Equal Employment Opportunity investigations he said contradicted the allegations. He also cited his support of the 30×30 Initiative, a national effort to increase women’s representation in police leadership, as evidence of his commitment to gender equity. The department maintained its workplace culture was not as the officers described.
The settlement, worth more than half of the original $5 million tort claim the women filed before the lawsuit, closes the legal chapter. Whether it closes the cultural one inside SPD is a question that will take years to answer, and one that new department leadership is now responsible for confronting.
