St. Louis police officer sues again after winning lawsuit

ST. LOUIS -- A white St. Louis police sergeant who won nearly $800,000 in a racial discrimination suit has filed another lawsuit claiming he's been retaliated against for his earlier win in court.

Sgt. David Bonenberger, who has been with the department for more than 22 years, filed a federal lawsuit in 2012, claiming a position he sought with the police academy was instead awarded to a black woman he claimed was less qualified. He was awarded $200,000 in actual damages and $420,000 in punitive damages in 2013, as well as attorney fees, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

In the new lawsuit filed Friday in federal court, Bonenberger claims police officials retaliated against him for suing the first time, violated his right to speak out about the discrimination and violated his right to sue. The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

The lawsuit claims that shortly after he was awarded $172,000 in attorney's fees, current chief Sam Dotson ordered an internal affairs investigation into the discrimination be closed and that he was assigned to report to an officer who was named in the earlier lawsuit and who had to pay Bonenberger about $300,000.

A city spokeswoman declined to comment because the city hadn't received the lawsuit yet.

Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com