‘Dropping belts’: A Texas tale of sex discrimination

A recent case from Austin teaches us about two key legal issues: (1) the importance of the threshold issue of an adverse employment action; and (2) the cat’s paw theory. But first, the story.

‘Future looks bright,’ but dark clouds forming

Samantha Liedtke was into a career in law enforcement. She was an “Honor Cadet” from the Ausin Police Academy for outstanding academics, fitness, and defensive tactics. Life looked promising. She was recruited to be part of an all-male patrol unit as part of an effort to bring her skills to the streets.

All was not as it seemed. After starting her first assignment, Liedtke witnessed male officers:

• Criticize the police work, physical appearance, and sexuality of female officers;

• Ridicule a female sergeant for her weight;

• Criticize a female lieutenant for her pregnancies and motherly duties; and

• Repeatedly state that fellow female officers were “either a b----or a s---.”

Storm arrives

It wasn’t long, according to Liedtke, before this hostility began targeting her:

• A male officer told her that she was hired into her position because “pretty women get easy accolades.”

• Another male officer wondered out loud whether hormonal birth control was impending her muscle growth.