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Trooper loses sex bias case against State Police

E-mail|Link|Comments () October 22, 2009 06:04 PM

By Globe Staff

Jody Reilly, the first female State Police helicopter pilot, has lost her federal sex discrimination lawsuit against the department, the State Police said today.

A federal jury ruled this afternoon that the State Police had not discriminated or retaliated against Reilly. A third claim, of sexual harassment, was removed from the case before the jury began deliberation, State Police said in a statement.

"We were confident that the jury, when presented with the facts, would see the truth in this case. We thank the jurors for taking the time to review this evidence, which clearly showed that the Massachusetts State Police did not discriminate or retaliate against this plaintiff," Colonel Mark F. Delaney, the State Police superintendent, said in the statement.

Reilly testified last week on the first day of the trial that the commander of the prestigious Air Wing unit retaliated against her because she rejected his sexual advances.

But an attorney for the state said the commander had restored morale and standards to the Air Wing after Reilly had an affair with his predecessor and was shown preferential treatment because of it.

Reilly transferred out of the unit in 2004 and is now a trooper in the Middleborough barracks.

Two of Reilly's attorneys did not immediately return messages seeking comment.