Cop sues former police Supt. Eddie Johnson for sex assault, harassment
CHICAGO - A Chicago police officer has filed a lawsuit accusing former Supt. Eddie Johnson with unwanted sexual advances, abuse and harassment.
The lawsuit was announced Thursday by its plaintiff Cynthia Donald, who was assigned to Johnson’s security detail and was allegedly subjected to “shockingly violent, abusive, and harassing conduct,” including forcibly kissing Donald and forcing her to perform sex, the suit states.
Johnson also texted nude photos of himself to Donald, the suit alleges.
The suit accuses Johnson of ordering Donald to accompany him the evening Oct. 16, 2019, when Johnson allegedly went out drinking and was later found by officers asleep behind the wheel in Bridgeport.
At a news conference later that day, Johnson said he was out to dinner with some friends and forgot to take his prescribed medication. He said he dismissed his driver for the night and opted to take himself home, but felt tired during the drive and decided to pull over.
Johnson later confessed to Lightfoot that he had “a couple of drinks” with dinner.
The suit also accuses the city and Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who later fired Johnson for allegedly lying about that night, with exacerbating “the hostile work environment by ordering Superintendent Johnson to ‘dump’ [Donald] by having her relocated away from CPD Headquarters.”
The alleged sex assault by Johnson happened between 2016 and 2019, the suit states.
Donald is seeking damages for her psychological injuries and emotional distress.