It doesn't happen all that often, but it certainly does happen. A male police officer in Michigan claimed he was sexually harassed by his female supervisor and then fired. Now, the city is prepared to pay up.

In the harassment and retaliation lawsuit, the Saginaw, Michigan, police officer claimed the head of internal affairs of the police department sexually harassed him. He also said the city fired him in retaliation for complaining about it. According to sources, he claimed they initiated "meritless and bogus" investigations so they could terminate his employment, according to mlive.com. The man was fired in 2008.

At a U.S. District Court jury trial in February, jurors didn't agree with all of the officer's allegations. They reportedly decided the officer was not harassed, but the city did unfairly retaliate against him. The officer, from Tittabawassee Township, was awarded $750,000 in damages for economic losses, including lost wages and benefits.

Now, the city has agreed to settle the matter for slightly less - $700,000 - in exchange for promising not to appeal. It was originally going to pay attorney fees, too, but the settlement apparently scratches that obligation. According to reports, the city would have paid $250,000 regardless of the total amount, with its insurer covering the rest. So the reduced settlement will benefit the insurance company.

The female supervisor has denied the man's claims of sexual harassment, and city officials said he was fired because several citizens and a fellow officer logged claims against him that were legitimate.

Source: www.mlive.com, "Saginaw makes deal with ex-police officer," Justin L. Engel, 23 May 2011