Judge dismisses sexual assault suit brought by Chicago police officer against superintendent
CHICAGO– A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Chicago police officer alleging sexual assault by former Police Chief Eddie Johnson, who was drinking with her the night he was found asleep behind the wheel of his SUV.
U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklo made the decision without appearing in court.
Officer Cynthia Donald, who was assigned to Johnson’s security detail, filed the lawsuit in 2020. Both were married to other people at the time.
“The fundamental problem with Donald’s claim is that virtually all of the evidence of her conduct indicates that she welcomed and actively participated in her relationship with Johnson,” the judge wrote.
Johnson’s attorney, Michael Leonard, said in a statement that the court “clearly got it right.”
“Mr. Johnson has always admitted and acknowledged that he had a consensual relationship with Ms. Donald,” the statement said. “The Court correctly found that Ms. Donald’s claims of sexual harassment were unfounded under the circumstances presented – with Ms. Donald in the lawsuit admitted that she had engaged in acts, statements and conduct that unequivocally led Mr. Johnson to reasonably believe that the parties were in fact engaged in a consensual relationship.”
Donald’s attorney Robert McLaughlin said in a statement that “we are disappointed” with the ruling and that an appeal was planned.
Donald’s lawsuit alleged that Johnson sexually harassed her, pressured her to perform sex acts and even sent nude photos of himself to her between 2016 and 2019 after assigning her to his detail and then as his driver.
“Superintendent Johnson used his position of power and authority over Plaintiff to pressure her to engage in these sexual acts by conditioning her employment and advancement within (the Chicago Police Department) based on her submission to unwanted and -welcoming sexual activity, promising her promotions and berating her whenever she mustered the courage to resist his advances,” the lawsuit alleged.
Former Mayor Lori Johnson fired Johnson in December 2019 because she said his actions were lies. While Johnson admitted to the mayor that he had “a few drinks” that night, he blamed his condition on a change in blood pressure medication. Later, media reports and surveillance video from a Chicago bar showed that he had been drinking heavily that night.