ORLANDO, Fla. — A lawsuit filed in Orange County says an Orlando police sergeant who survived breast cancer was "relieved of duties as a sworn law enforcement officer" because her implants prevented her from wearing a bulletproof vest.
Master Sgt. Rhonda Huckelbery's lawsuits says she was allowed to work without a vest on doctor's orders for 17 years.
The suit says after she was relieved of duty, she was brought back for light duty.
Orlando police told WFTV that Huckelbery is receiving full pay.
Huckelbery's lawsuit says she blames Orlando Police Chief Paul Rooney's leadership for the gender, age and disability discrimination and retaliation she said she's suffered.
Huckelbery is under orders not to talk and her lawyer would not go on camera.
WFTV legal analyst Bill Sheaffer said that argument would be powerful in front of a jury.
"All you need is one breast cancer survivor or a relative of a breast cancer survivor and it's not going to be, 'Should she recover damages?' It's going to be, 'How much can we give her?'" Sheaffer said.
Huckelbery, a 25-year OPD veteran, was supervising the tactical crime unit three years ago, during a controversial shooting at a Target on East Colonial Drive.
Huckelbery was cleared of any wrongdoing, but her lawsuit said months later, a new supervisor gave her her first bad review and kicked her out of the unit.
The suit said she filed a grievance and since then, every assignment she's requested has been given to younger, less experienced male officers.
Sheaffer said officers usually file lawsuits against their departments as a last resort, knowing even if they win, their careers are over because of the stigma of taking the issues to court.
A statement sent to WFTV Thursday by the Orlando Police Department said, in part:
In June of 2011, Chief Rooney mandated by directive all first responders to wear their issued vests. Policy states "the wearing of protective body armor is mandatory for all first responders while in police uniform." There have been over 3000 documented cases where officers' lives have been saved by wearing their vests. Chief Rooney ensures that he and his staff always work with all the men and women of OPD to ensure that they can continue working and do the job that they took a sworn oath to do. One of his top priorities is the safety and well-being of the officers."