A decorated former police officer with the Daly City Police Department has filed a hostile workplace lawsuit alleging he was pushed into early retirement after telling human resources the city’s interim police chief had an illicit affair with his wife — who was also a Daly City police employee.
Edward Gregorio, the plaintiff, further alleges he was denied promotional opportunities in retaliation. The misconduct described in the lawsuit allegedly took place between March 2021 and April 2022.
The interim police chief — identified as defendant John Gamez — served for 29 years in the department, according to his LinkedIn profile. Gamez was promoted from the rank of captain in July 2021. He retired in May 2022.
Gregorio “caught his wife engaging in conjugal relations” with Gamez in a vehicle in March 2021, according to the lawsuit.
Gregorio later asked Daly City’s director of human resources Natalie Sakkal to help him access mental health resources due to the ensuing emotional distress, and word got back to Gamez within three days, according to the complaint.
“Plaintiff thus questioned why Sakkal would tell Gamez about it since it was supposed to be confidential,” Gregorio’s attorneys write in their lawsuit. “Plaintiff felt his confidence broken.”
“He reached out to HR, and there was no real HR support,” attorney Arlo Garcia Uriarte said on behalf of Gregorio. “That’s definitely a breach. It’s not the kind of assistance or support you want.”
Gregorio also argues that Gamez violated a provision of the department’s policy on sexual harassment that states even consensual contact “can constitute harassment of a third-party individual who observes the conduct,” and that he was retaliated against for reporting the affair to human resources.
Gregorio served 26 years in the Daly City Police Department and retired in early February. In 2003, he earned a commendation for rescuing two people from a burning building. He’s suing for damages and court costs. The case was filed Feb. 15 in San Mateo County Superior Court.
Calls requesting comment on the case from the Daly City Police Department and City Attorney Rose Zimmerman were not returned.