Retaliation charges filed against DPS, Ingram

Former corrections director Dolores San Nicolas yesterday filed another lawsuit against the Department of Public Safety and its commissioner, Charles Ingram, in addition to the sex discrimination complaint she earlier filed in the U.S. District Court.

San Nicolas’ new federal lawsuit involved “retaliation” charges against DPS and Ingram, who had allegedly initiated an investigation on her after she filed a sex discrimination case last year.

San Nicolas was investigated by the Office of the Public Auditor, the White Collar Crime Unit and Internal Affairs Division of DPS based on three alleged “wrongdoing”, which were not identified in the court document.

The investigations according to San Nicolas were “without factual or legal basis and done solely for the purpose of retaliating and harming” her.

“If she feels that something has been done against her, then she should pursue the case,” Ingram said when sought for his comments.

Asst. Atty. Gen. Sean Frink, who represents DPS in the sex discrimination case, said his office has yet to be served a notice of the new complaint.

“If there’s such a complaint, we would look into it,” Frink said.

San Nicolas, who is represented by lawyer Douglas Cushnie, is asking for a jury trial.

She said that “as a result of the retaliation….she suffered extreme anxiety, embarrassment, humiliation, mental and physical pain and anguish.”

The “retaliatory conduct” of DPS officials, she added, was “intentional, willful, wanton and malicious.”

She is asking for compensatory and punitive damages in the amount that would be decided at the trial.

In the sex discrimination lawsuit, San Nicolas alleged that she was “forced to accept” insufficient pay and was denied her promotions rights because of her gender.

Nicholas, who started working at DPS in 1977, complained that in during that year she was replaced by a junior male police officer who she said was not qualified for the position as chief of corrections.

She believes the decision to replace her was based on her gender, which she also claimed was the same reason why she was getting a salary rate much lower than his male counterparts.

Having served and held top positions in the police department for several years, Nicholas believes she was the most qualified for the job. (MCM)