FREEHOLD –A local police officer has been awarded $1.8 million in damages as a result of a discrimination lawsuit he filed against the police chief.
Kenneth Hagel, 50, filed a lawsuit against Sea Girt Police Chief Kevin Davenport in 2014. The suit claimed that Davenport falsely believed Hagel was gay and that he hindered his promotion to sergeant due to his periodic absence from for training and deployment with the US Navy Reserves.
A Monmouth County jury recently found Davenport guilty of engaging in anti-military and false sexual orientation discrimination.
Hagel was awarded $1 million in punitive damages, $500,000 in emotional distress damages, and $262,800 in compensatory damages for lost salary and benefits.
