Lawsuit claims Garden Grove police sergeant sexually harassed a civilian employee.
A recent civil lawsuit has been filed in Orange County Superior Court by a civilian employee of the Garden Grove Police Department, claiming that she endured extensive sexual harassment from a former police sergeant, resulting in significant emotional distress and medical intervention.
The complaint details that the woman, who served as a community services officer within the department, was subject to relentless sexual remarks and gender-based degradation from her direct supervisor, then-Sergeant Charles Starnes. The allegations assert that Starnes employed his supervisory authority not only to make sexually explicit comments but also to threaten the plaintiff’s job security when she rebuffed his advances.
Central to the lawsuit is the assertion that leaders within the Garden Grove Police Department fostered a hostile work environment by allowing such behavior to persist without consequences. According to the plaintiff, department leadership was aware that some personnel engaged in predatory behavior towards women yet failed to take appropriate action.
Starnes, the officer identified in the suit, was not available for comment, and a spokesperson for the Garden Grove Police Department declined to discuss the lawsuit amid an ongoing investigation.
The plaintiff’s attorney has framed this case within a broader context of systemic issues within the department, referencing a prior incident involving the arrest of former police officer Robert Machuca, who faced accusations of engaging in a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old involved in the Police Explorer program. Counsel for the plaintiff suggested that the harassment was indicative of a “good ol’ boys” network within the department, hinting at a culture that overlooks misconduct.
The allegations detail a timeline of harassment from July 2025 through early 2026, where Starnes reportedly engaged in a series of inappropriate and unprofessional behaviors, including sharing graphic descriptions of sexual acts and making demeaning remarks about the bodies of female colleagues. The lawsuit highlights that Starnes’s threats escalated to include negative impacts on the plaintiff’s job performance evaluations and duties, ultimately culminating in a panic attack that required emergency medical treatment.
Following the complaint, Starnes was placed on administrative leave, yet contrary to expectations of accountability, he reportedly returned to his position, allegedly making disparaging comments about the plaintiff and other civilians.
The lawsuit also recalls a specific incident in which Starnes referenced allegations against Machuca, trivializing the situation by suggesting that had the victim been older and more attractive, the harassment would have been acceptable.
The plaintiff is seeking unspecified monetary damages to address the emotional and psychological impact of the alleged harassment. As public scrutiny intensifies over workplace conduct within law enforcement agencies, this case raises important questions regarding accountability and the measures in place to protect employees in similar circumstances.
The developments surrounding this lawsuit will likely draw ongoing attention to the culture within the Garden Grove Police Department while prompting discussions on the necessary reforms to prevent such issues in the future.
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