A settlement has been reached in a federal lawsuit filed by a pregnant police officer in Hudson who claimed her former boss and the village discriminated and retaliated against her.
Kayley Sprout was fired in September 2017 after Hudson officials claimed they couldn’t meet the 25-pound lifting restriction imposed by Sprout’s doctor. Sprout said she was unnecessarily put on desk duty early and not allowed access to a squad car. Sprout claimed her firing was related to concerns she raised about Chief Dale Sparks starting five months before her termination. She said the village “failed to adequately train its employees” and violated Sprout’s equal protection rights as a pregnant woman.
Terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but they were “satisfactory to all sides,” said Stephen Miller, a Chicago attorney who represented Sprout. Sprout was seeking unspecified damages and for her old job back. As part of case-dismissal documents filed this week in court, both sides agreed that the amount of Sprout’s lost wages was $40,000. It’s unclear how that relates to the settlement.
The Village of Hudson and several of its board members were named in the lawsuit. They did not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement, Miller said.
Sprout’s case became public in fall 2017 after 1,400 people signed an online petition on her behalf, with many crowding a Hudson Village Board meeting to voice their concerns.
Sprout “is hoping to continue her career in law enforcement,” Miller said, declining further comment.
Julie Bruch, an attorney for the Village of Hudson, did not respond to a request for a comment Thursday.
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