A former St. Charles Police Department employee has filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging sexual harassment, discrimination based on sex and retaliation.
The case was filed in the Illinois Northern District Court on Sept. 5, with the city of St. Charles the only named defendant.
The lawsuit states that Lisa Lullo worked as a police Records Division manager for the city from April 2023 to September 2024, and that she was the only female supervisory staff member at the time. According to the police department’s organizational chart, the police Records Division manager role reports to the deputy chief of administration, who reports to the police chief.
The lawsuit alleges that the police chief at the time made “unwelcome sexual statements” to Lullo that “were sufficiently severe and pervasive to alter the conditions of her employment and create a hostile work environment.”
It also alleges that she, for example, was prohibited from attending staff meetings, excluded from decision-making regarding functions of the police Records Division, prohibited from sending emails directly to the department’s Patrol Division and berated in front of her staff, according to the lawsuit. Lullo alleges in the suit that male employees on the supervisory staff did not receive the same treatment.
The lawsuit alleges that the working conditions were “so intolerable that she was forced into an involuntary resignation.”
In addition to charges of sex discrimination and harassment based on her sex, the suit claims the city’s conduct after she brought up what she believed to be wrongdoing by the city constitutes retaliatory action.
Lullo’s attorney did not return a request for further comment.
City officials say they are aware of the lawsuit, but declined to comment further due to the pending litigation. In a statement on Wednesday, a city spokesperson said St. Charles “takes these matters very seriously and previously conducted a thorough internal investigation into the incidents referenced.”
St. Charles Mayor Clint Hull on Wednesday also acknowledged that the city has been served with the lawsuit, but declined to comment further.
Former Police Chief James Keegan was unable to be reached for comment. He resigned from the post at the department in March, after having been on a personal leave of absence since Nov. 6, 2024. The city at the time declined to comment on the reason for his resignation.