NEW HAVEN, CT — A new lawsuit filed by a former city emergency dispatcher claims she was subjected to a hostile work environment, including coworkers wagering bets about whether her supervisor was her child's biological father.
Krystina Polchies filed the lawsuit, which is dated Sept. 17, in Superior Court in Bridgeport on Monday.
It names the city of New Haven as the sole defendant.
Attorney John Bochanis of Bridgeport, who is representing Polchies, said in the lawsuit that his client worked as a police and fire dispatcher for the city starting in November 2022.
She became pregnant during her tenure, and her baby was due in June 2024. Due to her pregnancy, she submitted an accommodation request asking not to work more than 40 hours per week, based on her physician's recommendation, and the city approved her request.
While Polchies was pregnant, a picture was posted inside a supervisor's locker depicting her jet skiing with the supervisor, the lawsuit says. She did not authorize the posting of the picture, according to the lawsuit.
During her pregnancy, coworkers started to make comments and accusations that she was having sexual relations with a supervisor in the workplace, according to the lawsuit, which dismisses the accusations as inaccurate rumors.
Polchies later was sent a picture of a list that had been posted in a training room. The list referred to whether her expected baby was fathered by her supervisor, the lawsuit states. It claims coworkers had signed the list, indicating whether or not they believed her supervisor was the father.
The poster had dollar amounts on it, as coworkers had placed bets about the baby's paternity also, according to the lawsuit.
Polchies complained to management about the ongoing harassment, the lawsuit states.
She was on maternity leave between May 8 and Sept. 2, 2024. After she returned to work, coworkers continued to question the identity of her baby's father and insinuate it was her supervisor, the lawsuit claims.
During her employment, Polchies had to take time off from work due to a medical condition that required surgery in July 2024. The lawsuit claims her request to work no more than 40 hours per week was denied.
The lawsuit claims the plaintiff was constructively discharged from employment around Sept. 30, 2024 due to the ongoing harassment and the city's failure to provide her with medical accommodation.
It claims she was wrongfully discharged, harassed, subjected to discrimination, and retaliated against for complaining about the hostile work environment. The litigation claims the city violated state laws and the Americans with Disabilities Act. According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff lost salary and benefits and suffered extreme humiliation, mental anxiety and emotional distress. It seeks unspecified monetary damages.
Lenny Speiller, spokesman for the city of New Haven, on Friday declined to comment on any specific claims in the lawsuit.
"The city is committed to providing its employees with safe and professional working environments that are free from harassment and discrimination," he said, in an emailed statement. "An administrator at the Connecticut Department of Labor reviewed Ms. Polchies' appeal and determined she voluntarily left her work without good cause. While we cannot comment on the specifics of this lawsuit, the city denies these allegations and we do not expect a different finding by the court."
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