$300,000 settlement to settle sexual harassment claim against retired Chicago cop

Chicago taxpayers will pay $300,000 to a police officer who said she had sex with a boss who threatened to torpedo her career if she refused his advances.

The $300,000 settlement is going to Chicago police Officer Kelly Hespe, who remains on leave.

Her 6-year-old sexual misconduct lawsuit against retired Lt. Gerald Breimon lifted the veil on sordid sexcapade allegations involving Breimon and his former colleagues at the Shakespeare District that covers Wicker Park and Bucktown.

Those included: sex between cops during work hours; sex acts in squad cars; a police officer masturbating in his squad car; and married cops having foursomes with other cop couples during their off-duty hours.

The Chicago Sun-Times revealed the allegations in August 2018, citing lengthy depositions taken by city attorneys who have been defending Breimon against Hespe’s sex claims.

Breimon, who retired last summer, was once indicted on aggravated sexual assault and official misconduct charges after being accused of pulling over a young woman, ordering her out of the car, frisking her under her clothing and touching her breasts and vagina.

He was stripped of his police powers and placed on desk duty, where he remained for nearly five years until the woman dropped her lawsuit and prosecutors dropped the charges.

He was reinstated without punishment and assigned to the Shakespeare District in 2008.

Read the Sun-Times August 2018 Watchdogs report.

About a year later, Breimon, who was married, began having sex with Hespe, a subordinate whose husband also was a Chicago cop, court records show.

Hespe says in court records they had sex in squad cars, in the station house and in the police parking lot and that, when she tried to break things off, Breimon threatened to use his mother’s connections to ruin Hespe’s career.

In his deposition, Breimon insisted the sexual relationship was consensual and said he had no supervisory authority over her.

He acknowledged having sex with her in the police station parking lot “in her van before work” multiple times and having sexually charged conversations on the phone and via text.

In their depositions, both Breimon and Hespe talked about on-duty sexual activity by other officers at the Shakespeare District.

A male officer who once partnered with Hespe masturbated in front of her as they sat in their squad car on duty, according to her sworn statement.

While Hespe was assigned to the summer bicycle patrol unit, Breimon testified that she told him she had performed oral sex on two male officers also working bike patrol.

Breimon, who in some cases named names, said Hespe had sex with other officers in the police station and had a foursome with other cops.

Breimon also said Shakespeare District cops had sex in the supervisor’s locker room and the station’s supply room.

Hespe went on medical leave in March 2013, later seeking disability payments, saying she was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder because of her treatment by Breimon. Her disability claim was denied.

A month later, Hespe filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, setting the stage for her sexual harassment suit against the city and Breimon.

Around the same time, she filed a complaint against Breimon with the police department. Breimon was slapped with a 30-day suspension, which he appealed.

In her federal lawsuit, Hespe alleged the Chicago Police Department “directly encourages, and fails to adequately discipline, supervise and control its officers” and “facilitates the very type of misconduct at issue here by failing to adequately punish and discipline prior instances of similar misconduct.”

A federal judge dismissed much of Hespe’s lawsuit, arguing it was “undisputed that, during the course of the relationship, [Hespe] and Sgt. Breimon went on dates to movies, restaurants and concerts and met each other’s children . . . Plaintiff told Sgt. Breimon she loved and missed him . . . and sometimes initiated sex . . . and described to Sgt. Breimon what she wanted to do to him sexually.”

The settlement of Hespe’s sexual harassment claims comes at a time when Inspector General Joe Ferguson continues to investigate allegations that fired CPD Supt. Eddie Johnson spent three hours drinking with a woman whom he promoted to his security detail shortly after becoming superintendent on the October night when he was found slumped over the wheel of his police vehicle.

Sources said the woman, who has since been reassigned, was seen on restaurant video repeatedly kissing Johnson.

Hespe remains on a leave of absence from the Chicago Police Department. The police pension board has denied her application for disability benefits.

Contributing: Tim Novak, Robert Herguth