Honolulu Poised To Pay Former HPD Officer Who Faced Retaliation For Affairs With 2 Female Cops
Justin Castro said he was discriminated against because of his gender. The amount of the settlement, which is pending approval by the City Council, has not been disclosed.
A Honolulu City Council committee has tentatively approved a settlement with a former Honolulu police officer who sued the city for gender discrimination and said he was retaliated against after having romantic relationships with two female officers.
The amount of the settlement has not been disclosed.
Former Cpl. Justin Castro, who resigned prior to being discharged in October 2021, sued the city in August 2022 saying he was forced out of the department after he ended a relationship with one of the women, Officer Kelsey Messmer.
An HPD disciplinary report submitted to the Legislature last year says Castro dated a subordinate officer and threatened to terminate her if she didn鈥檛 continue the relationship. He was also investigated for two counts of abuse on a family or household member and one count of first-degree terroristic threatening, but the charges were never filed, according to court records.
In his complaint, Castro said he ended the relationship with Messmer, and when he did, she threatened to ruin his life and career and began stalking him.
The Executive Matters and Legal Affairs Committee tentatively approved the settlement on Tuesday with all council members voting in favor, except for District 3 council member Esther Kiaaina. Kiaaina did not respond to a request for comment.
The settlement is pending approval by the full City Council at its next meeting on July 10.
Castro’s complaint says he petitioned the court for a temporary restraining order against Messmer, but despite this, she bought a house adjacent to his and continued harassing him.
Court records show Castro petitioned for temporary restraining orders against Messmer in 2019 and 2020, but both were denied.
Messmer also petitioned for temporary restraining orders against Castro in 2019 and 2020, according to court records. They were both initially granted but later dissolved because the court found they were not necessary to prevent abuse.
Castro reported Messmer鈥檚 conduct to his superiors but was ignored 鈥渂ecause (Castro) is a male and Officer Messmer is a female,鈥 according to the complaint.
Messmer then filed 鈥渦ntruthful, vengeful鈥 internal complaints against Castro, his complaint says. The department investigated her complaints and sought to have criminal charges brought against Castro, but the prosecutor鈥檚 office declined to pursue prosecution.
The department placed Castro on restricted duty in April 2019, and he was later denied a promotion to sergeant due to his restricted status, the complaint says. He also could not work his second job with TSA because of the restricted duty classification.
He requested to be returned to full duty status on July 20, 2021, but was denied, the complaint says.
A spokesperson for the City and County of Honolulu said the city would have no comment until the settlement is approved.
Michelle Yu, spokeswoman for the Honolulu Police Department, declined to comment.
Castro鈥檚 attorney, Bosko Petricevic, did not respond to a call and email seeking comment.
Castro “was subjected to discrimination based on his gender, male, and subjected to intense and persistent illegal retaliation through and including his termination,鈥 the complaint says.
The complaint seeks damages Castro says he suffered, including emotional distress, humiliation, loss of income and lost earning capacity.
