A former police officer with the National City Police Department (NCPD) in Southern California has been awarded $10 million in damages after a jury found she was subjected to sexual harassment and discrimination while working on the force.
Ashley Cummins, who is also known in the mixed martial arts world as “Smashley,” filed a lawsuit in 2022 alleging that she faced ongoing harassment and hostility during her time with NCPD — not only because she is a woman but also because she is openly gay.
“SUBMIT OR SLEEP WITH US”
In court documents filed with the Superior Court of California in San Diego County, Cummins detailed the toxic workplace culture she encountered, including the notion that women could only succeed at NCPD by being “submissive to male officers or sleeping with them.”
“Many of the male officers and supervisors indicated that if female officers wanted to fit in at NCPD, they either needed to be submissive to the male officers or sleep with them,” her lawsuit read.
Cummins reported repeated discrimination, such as being denied a K-9 unit role despite having more experience than the male officer who was selected. She said women who did receive promotions were often accused by colleagues of trading sex for career advancement.
SAFETY COMPROMISED, COMPLAINTS IGNORED
Cummins also described multiple dangerous and demeaning incidents, including:
- Being intentionally left uninformed that a homicide suspect had not been searched for weapons
- Being ordered to leave a crime scene without cause
- Being yelled at over the police radio by colleagues
She alleged that superiors routinely discouraged women from reporting misconduct. One male officer, she recalled, warned her:
“Don’t be that cop. If you do that, you’ll be just another female cop who plays [the female card] because she can’t handle National City. Things will just get worse for you.”
JURY SIDES WITH CUMMINS
After reviewing the evidence, the jury found NCPD liable for harassment and discrimination, awarding Cummins a total of $10 million, broken down as follows:
- $166,000 in lost wages
- $1.4 million in future economic losses
- $8.4 million in non-economic losses for emotional distress and suffering
Her attorneys said in a statement:
“We always believed our client was wronged and had viable legal claims for sexual harassment and discrimination. We are grateful the jury found for our client on all accounts and awarded a just verdict.”
They added, “Ashley feels vindicated and is overcome with emotion.”
CITY’S RESPONSE AND FUTURE IMPACT
National City Councilmember Marcus Bush acknowledged the concerns raised by the case:
“This is not reflective of our entire department, but… it’s a concern that we need to look into and address fairly as a city.”
City Attorney Barry Schultz said officials are exploring legal options:
“The city is extremely disappointed with the outcome and is currently reviewing all of the legal options, including a possible appeal.”
Despite the outcome, Cummins has found it difficult to gain employment in other departments due to the lawsuit. She continues to work part-time training officers while also competing as an MMA fighter.
Cummins began her career at NCPD in 2018 after serving with federal law enforcement task forces, including the FBI and DEA. She said the harassment escalated significantly around March 2020.
