Latest news with #MarkoLaw
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Muslim police officer sues Melvindale Police Department for alleged discrimination
An officer with the Melvindale Police Department is suing the department and the city, claiming that he was harassed and discriminated against because he is Muslim. Marko Law, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of Corporal Hassan Hammoud, alleged the officer was targeted for reporting misconduct, creating a hostile work environment. "This lawsuit reveals a deeply disturbing culture of racism and religious bigotry that not only isolates and punished Corporal Hammoud because of his religion and race, but also directs that bias outward toward the communities the department is sworn to protect. The City of Melvindale has allowed a system of discrimination to flourish unchecked—and our client is stepping forward to ensure accountability," Attorney Jonathan Marko said in a news release. "If Melvindale can't protect its own officers, how can it serve and protect the citizens?" CBS News Detroit contacted Melvindale police for a comment, but has not heard back. Hammoud, who is Lebanese, was first hired in March 2021. According to the lawsuit, he faced racial harassment by a colleague beginning in June 2021 and filed complaints. The lawsuit claims no action was taken despite a superior acknowledging the colleague's behavior as racist. The lawsuit also says that between July 2024 and October 2024, Hammoud was harassed because of his religion, faith and ethnicity. Colleagues allegedly put several items in his work locker, such as job applications to other places, including a pizza shop, a photo of a naked woman, and a Christian cross and bible. Additionally, Hammoud confronted another colleague over her racist remarks about Black people and reported fellow officers saying, "let's go hunt," before patrolling the Detroit-Melvindale city border, the lawsuit alleges. In response, Hammoud allegedly faced retaliation by colleagues and was threatened to stop filing complaints. The lawsuit states that Hammoud went on leave twice in 2024 and early 2025, and the harassment continued when he returned, including in an alleged petition for him to be terminated. It alleges that he received two write-ups and was not provided a reason for them. According to the lawsuit, Hammoud suffers from stress, humiliation, outrage, mental anguish, and emotional, economic and non-economic damages as a result of the alleged harassment and retaliation.
CBS News
07-05-2025
- CBS News
Dearborn Heights police officers file lawsuit, alleges sexual misconduct by former sergeant
Two Dearborn Heights police officers are suing the police department and a former sergeant for alleged sexual misconduct. Marko Law, which is representing the officers, filed the lawsuit on Tuesday, claiming that the former sergeant demanded sexually explicit photos and to engage in sexual interactions. The former sergeant is also accused of sending pictures through social media and harassing several other young officers. "Every employer is responsible for ensuring a safe workplace and for preventing employees—including those in supervisory roles like sergeants—from causing harm to others. The Dearborn Heights Police Department failed in this duty by not protecting our clients from sexual assault, harassment, and discrimination carried out by one of its sergeants," said Attorney Jonathan Marko in a statement. "The Dearborn Heights Department did nothing to shield them from the daily humiliation and embarrassment they did and continue to endure." The Dearborn Heights Police Department said on Tuesday that it became aware of the allegations on April 9, 2025. The department confirmed that the sergeant has not been employed with them since 2023. The department said the incidents happened before Police Chief Ahmed Haidar took on the role in 2025 and has asked Michigan State Police to investigate the allegations. "Police Chief Ahmed Haidar said the police department will fully cooperate with this investigation and does not condone any acts of sexual assault, harassment, and/or behaviors negatively effecting members of this department or citizens," the department said in a news release. According to the lawsuit, the former sergeant allegedly texted one of the officers in 2021 and 2022 and demanded photos. The sergeant allegedly assaulted the officer and coerced him to perform sex acts in his office on multiple occasions. The lawsuit alleges that between 2017 and 2018, the former sergeant harassed the officer and threatened him and his job to keep him from saying anything. The lawsuit claims that the officer reported the harassment in 2023 to his superiors, but they refused to investigate the alleged misconduct. The former sergeant allegedly falsified reports against the officer, resulting in the officer's Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards being suspended, according to the lawsuit. The officer was later suspended to the former sergeant's allegations, the lawsuit claims. The lawsuit alleges that the officers faced retaliation and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and humiliation, even after the former sergeant left the department.
