In March 2016, plaintiff Anne Marie Lunsman, 47, a police officer with the Beverly Hills Police Department, began to be supervised by a new police chief, Sandra Spagnoli. Lunsman, who is Catholic and part black and part Native American, claimed that she was subjected to a hostile work environment. Lunsman sued the city of Beverly Hills. Lunsman alleged that she was subjected to gender, age, race and religious discrimination in violation of the Fair Employment and Housing Act. Plaintiff’s counsel contended that, despite being the most qualified candidate, Lunsman was not promoted to sergeant and was denied two other positions that would have given her a bonus and other benefits. Counsel also contended that Spagnoli denied Lunsman permission to attend a sexual-assault course, which was a requisite for a future promotional test, even though Spagnoli had approved everyone else in Lunsman’s chain of command. Defense counsel contended that the city did not discriminate against or harass Lunsman and that there were other, more qualified candidates up for promotion., Lunsman claimed that she suffered a loss of earnings as a result of being denied promotions and other positions. She also claimed that she suffered emotional distress as a result of the events. Lunsman sought recovery of lost wages and damages for her emotional pain and suffering.