By Riley McCoy
For The Register-Herald
Beckley — A former Beckley Police officer seeks more than $100,000 in back pay in a lawsuit filed in Raleigh County Circuit Court.
The 22-page suit filed March 17 by Charleston-based attorney D. Adrian Hoosier II claims Alyssa Christian Redden faced wrongful termination, gender discrimination and systemic workplace harassment in the year she served as an officer. She was sworn in on March 23, 2023, and terminated “on or about March 27, 2024,” according to court documents.
Redden, who is daughter of former police chief Lonnie D. Christian, in the lawsuit also seeks compensatory damages including unclaimed backpay, humiliation, reputational harm, medical expenses and the loss of future career opportunities.
The lawsuit describes a consistent pattern of bullying, exploitation, harassment and discrimination that persisted from the time she began training until her wrongful termination March 25, 2024. The suit also points out that Redden had held various positions in the police department prior to attending the police academy to become a patrol officer.
Redden, who joined the department in 2022, names Sgt. William Reynolds and Police Chief Dean R. Bailey individually in the lawsuit. The court is waiting on the City of Beckley’s formal response at the time of this article.
However, when asked for comment, Bailey said the lawsuit is meritless.
“The Beckley Police Department is aware of the pending civil action that was filed in the Circuit Court of Raleigh County,” he stated in a text message. “While I cannot comment on the specifics of pending litigation, the allegations are meritless and do not reflect the actions of this department or its officers.
“We intend to vigorously defend against these claims. The Beckley Police Department remains committed to ensuring public safety and we look forward to presenting our defense through the appropriate legal channels. No further comment at this time.”
According to the lawsuit, officers subjected Redden to abuses that ranged from being told she “would never be a Beckley police officer,” because she was “too small and weak,” to sexual rumors spread among the workplace as well as uneven disciplinary treatment between herself and her male co-workers.
The suit claims Redden received unequal treatment even after she was terminated.
“The plaintiff was also treated differently based on gender,” the lawsuit states. “She was a victim of rumors that she was sleeping with co-workers, that she was called weak, told she was ‘too small,’ and generally permitted the same opportunities or punished more harshly. Namely, male officers got hearings when they were terminated.”
West Virginia State Code § 8-14-20 (a) states that “if the member demands it, the commission shall grant a public hearing” and that “no such member may be removed, discharged, suspended or reduced in rank or pay…until the member has been furnished with a written statement of the reasons for the action.”
In court documents, Redden denies she ever received notice of such a hearing.
“Plaintiff was handed a termination letter and ordered to immediately surrender her equipment and leave the premises,” the lawsuit said. “She was not informed of any charges beforehand.”
However, in Redden’s complaint, the alleged wrongful termination was the culmination of a years-long pattern of abuse and gender discrimination that resulted in a self-fulfilling prophecy.
“Sgt. Will Reynolds and Sgt. Steven Whitt harassed Redden and not male police officers,” the lawsuit said. “Sgt. Reynolds and Sgt. Steven Whitt told Redden to quit, she could not make it as police office[sic] and that she ‘wasn’t worth a (expletive).’”
Other complaints from the court documents center on unpaid labor and the lack of opportunity for overtime.
“Redden was also ordered by Chief Bailey to come in on her own time while not being compensated to deal with department matters,” the lawsuit said. “She was told she could not receive overtime and was instructed to reject calls to come in on days off, even if requested by a supervisor.”
After her termination, the lawsuit claims that Redden was “forced to give her gun belt, which she personally purchased, and her vest with multiple items she had purchased herself” and that she could “address her personal items later” before being escorted out of the building.
As the court documents claim, Redden suffered an undisclosed injury sometime in March 2024 that resulted in a worker’s compensation claim that the city never filed.
“Plaintiff later learned that a meeting was held without her knowledge regarding her workplace injury incident, where Chief Bailey pressured officers in attendance to agree with him that he should terminate Plaintiff.”
The court filling also hints at the possibility that procedural documents were altered after the incident to cover-up any impropriety.
“Months after the meeting, Chief Bailey created a Probationary Police Officer Review Committee policy, backdated the policy prior to the meeting, but officers did not receive the policy until approximately June 2024,” the lawsuit said. “In her termination letter, [Redden] was told she was on probationary status. That was not true. She was ever informed of any probationary status.”
Both primary parties were asked to comment and neither has responded at the time of this publication. The court awaits the city’s formal response as the lawsuit proceeds.
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