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An NYPD chief held a “best dressed” contest for female subordinates at a precinct holiday party – and then retaliated against an officer who refused to participate, according to a lawsuit.
Manhattan North Commander Ruel Stephenson allegedly offered a $700 prize to “the best dressed woman” at the precinct’s Dec. 13, 2023 Christmas party at the Glen Island Harbor Club in New Rochelle, according to the Manhattan Supreme Court filing.
Lt. Mariela Matos-Leo, who works at the 24th Precinct, which shares a building with Manhattan North, skipped the shindig because Stephenson had allegedly been begging her for weeks to attend, making her feel like he had “his sights on making her the conquest” of the event, she said in court papers.
Stephenson acted “noticeably different” to Matos-Leo, 40, after she failed to show, berating her at meetings in front of colleagues and calling her incompetent, according to the legal filing against the city.
This is “how the Chief gets when he is rejected,” one sergeant allegedly told Matos-Leo.
“Women in the NYPD should be judged solely on their job performance, not on their willingness to participate in a culture that pressures them to dress provocatively at department events,” Matos-Leo’s lawyer, John Scola, told The Post.
“No officer should be subjected to sexual harassment or forced to choose between their dignity and their career advancement,” Scola added.
It’s not the first lawsuit filed by Matos-Leo, a 19-year veteran of the department, who previously claimed she was retaliated against by other department employees in 2019 after she filed a criminal complaint against her boyfriend, who was also a cop, according to court records. The case was later settled.
She’s currently seeking unspecified damages. Stephenson could not be reached for comment.
The Law Department said the city would review the litigation when it was served.
An NYPD spokesperson said the department “does not tolerate sexual harassment and is committed to respectful work environments for our diverse workforce. The NYPD thoroughly investigates all complaints it receives, and offers several reporting options for NYPD employees, including anonymously.”
