In 2011, plaintiff Cheryl Morris, a veteran officer at the Los Angeles Port Police Department, applied for a position of sergeant. After two rounds of testing, Morris was passed over for promotion in favor of five male officers. Morris claimed she was passed over due to her gender. Morris sued her employer, the city of Los Angeles; and the police chief for the port at that time, Ronald Boyd. Morris alleged that the defendants’ actions constituted gender discrimination. Defense counsel denied that Morris experienced any discrimination, and argued that the 2011 sergeant promotional process was fair and neutral. Counsel noted that the first stage of the promotional application process consisted of a multiple-choice test, a writing sample, and citywide personnel office interviews. The second stage consisted of a departmental interview and a second-round writing sample. Defense counsel contended that Morris advanced to the second stage due to her sound performance on the multiple choice written test and seniority credit, but that Morris’ second-stage score placed her in the bottom three of the 13 candidates who participated in that round. Accordingly, counsel contended that the port police only had five vacant sergeant positions in 2011 and that, pursuant to official, pre-set guidelines, the city promoted the five candidates with the highest second-stage scores. As such, defense counsel maintained that the city’s promotional decision was based on legitimate business reasons and did not violate the law., Morris served in various capacities during her tenure at the port police department, including working as a field training officer, field supervisor, terrorism liaison officer, bicycle patrol officer, community resource officer, and acting watch commander. She currently holds the rank of police officer III. Morris was one of the first two female field training officers to ever hold that position with the LA port police. She was also the first female police officer to possess a Bachelor of Arts degree, and the first female police officer to be certified and trained in the use of the urban patrol rifle. In addition, Morris has been awarded many commendations from the community she serves, as well as from the department; she serves as the vice president of the LA South Chapter of Peace Officers Research Association of California; and she has received her Master of Arts degree in Public Administration and Organizational Leadership. Thus, Morris initially sought recovery of unspecified damages due to not being promoted. However, the parties ultimately stipulated to damages of $195,000 prior to trial, depending on the outcome of the liability verdict.