A former Tisbury police officer is suing the town, police chief and an officer after allegations that she was subjected to a hostile work environment, retaliation and discrimination. 

Julia Levesque, who worked for the Tisbury police for about four years, filed a lawsuit in Dukes County Superior Court on June 25, claiming she was harassed by a fellow officer and was overlooked for promotions and better shifts after the ensuing internal investigation into the other officer. 

“During the time spent working for the Tisbury Police Department, [Ms. Levesque] has been subjected to a hostile work environment and a pattern and practice of ongoing harassment, disparate treatment and gender discrimination,” Ms. Levesque’s attorney Timothy Burke wrote in her complaint.

Tisbury police Chief Christopher Habekost and officer Peter (Nick) Sidoti are named as defendants in the suit, along with the town. Neither officer responded to requests for comment this week.

Tisbury town administrator Joseph LaCivita declined to comment on the case, citing the pending litigation.

Ms. Levesque said issues began in 2022, when she received several inappropriate sexual texts and verbal comments, as well as unwanted physical contact, from fellow officer Sidoti, according to the lawsuit.

In one instance, Mr. Sidoti texted Ms. Levesque a picture from her social media, and told her it was “hot,” according to the lawsuit and an internal investigation report from Tisbury police. 

Ms. Levesque texted Mr. Sidoti back and said she was going to take the picture down, to which he responded: “Stop corrupting my innocent mind....I’m going to confession now,” according to screenshots of the texts included in the investigative report. 

In another instance, Ms. Levesque received a text from Mr. Sidoti asking her what she was wearing, and then a follow up demanding an explanation on why she didn’t answer, according to the suit. 

Ms. Levesque also claimed that in August 2022, while on-duty in the presence of another officer, Mr. Sidoti was recounting a story about a friend who was feeling “touchy-feely,” Mr. Burke wrote in the suit.

“While telling the story Defendant Sidoti rolled his chair up to Officer Levesque and reenacted the story and mimicked the ‘handsy’ ‘touchy-feely’ behavior by placing his hand on Officer Levesque’s inner right thigh and leg,” the lawsuit reads. 

The incident was witnessed by multiple officers and Ms. Levesque asked for shift changes so she would not have to work with Mr. Sidoti. She also reported the harassment to her supervisor and the department conducted an internal investigation. 

After the ensuing investigation, Mr. Sidoti admitted to the allegations, though he said he only touched Ms. Levesque’s knee, according to the internal report. Mr. Sidoti’s behaviour resulted in a one-day suspension without pay, according to the internal Tisbury report. He was also ordered take sexual harassment training and verbal counseling.

The department also asked sergeants to adjust the upcoming schedule so Ms. Levesque would not work the same shift as Mr. Sidoti. But afterwards, Ms. Levesque claims she was ostracized by her peers and supervisors in the department, according to the suit. 

Ms. Levesque alleges she was not notified of potential promotion opportunities while she was on military leave in the Middle East, a violation of the department’s policies. At the same time, Mr. Sidoti was promoted, the lawsuit claims.

As a result of that promotion, Mr. Sidoti then worked the 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday shift, meaning Ms. Levesque was assigned the 4 p.m. to midnight shift in order to have the two not working together. 

She also alleged in the suit that department officials were overlooking her for overtime assignments because they did not wish to disrupt Mr. Sidoti’s schedule.

Both Mr. Sidoti and Chief Habekost did not return requests for comments. 

Ms. Levesque resigned from the department in August 2024 and was sworn in to the Oak Bluffs police department in December 2024. 

“From how this investigation was handled, which other officers feel should have resulted in either termination or possible criminal charges, to the failure to enforce the orders given to not interact with me, I am making the decision to resign as a result of a toxic work environment and what I believe is the protection of an individual reported for sexual harassment and assault,” she wrote in her resignation letter, attached in the suit. 

Ms. Levesque said damages could amount to as much as $1.1 million due to lost wages and violation of rights under state discrimination law.

“Obviously she’s incurred significant financial loss due to this situation,” Mr. Burke, Ms. Levesque’s lawyer, said in an interview with the Gazette.

This is not the first discrimination lawsuit for Tisbury police in recent years. In 2022, the town settled a federal lawsuit with officer Kindia Roman, who alleged she was harassed and retaliated against on the basis of her sexual orientation and race. The town also settled a suit with a former lieutenant who claimed he was demoted and fired by the town after he conducted an investigation into the treatment of Ms. Roman. 

In 2023, the town also settled a claim filed by Danielle Clermont, a police intern who alleged that a Tisbury officer provided false claims and malicious statements about her when she was being considered for other jobs based on her sexual orientation.  

An initial hearing date has not yet been set in Ms. Levesque’s case, and the police department has not yet formally responded to the allegations in court.