Woman assaulted by Pittsburgh police officer settles with city
Pittsburgh has agreed to pay $35,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a woman who accused former city police officer Adam Skweres of assaulting her, her attorney said on Thursday.
The woman claimed the city should not have allowed Skweres to be on the force because he failed his psychological exam and should have removed him from the force when two women filed sex assault complaints in 2008.
The Tribune-Review does not identify victims of sexual assaults.
U.S. District Judge Mark Hornak ordered the case closed on Thursday pending a motion from both sides to dismiss the lawsuit. The order doesn't provide details of the settlement. Rob Peirce, one of the woman's lawyers, said the agreement is for $35,000. City Solicitor Lourdes Sanchez Ridge declined comment.
The woman claimed that Skweres, in December 2011, came to her house and offered to help her get her fiance's bail reduced in return for sexual favors, the suit says. When she refused, he forced her to partially disrobe before he would leave her home, the lawsuit says.
Skweres, 37, of Lincoln Place pleaded guilty in March to state charges of attempted rape, indecent assault, false imprisonment, bribery, official oppression and coercion. He is serving three-and-a-half to eight years in prison, to be followed by 10 years of probation.
As it did in a lawsuit by another victim, the city denied that it received reports that Skweres sexually assaulted the two women in 2008.
Instead, it received “some reports of alleged inappropriate conduct at certain times.” Police officials' ability to discipline officers is limited by state law and the officers' collective bargaining agreement, the city said.
The union wasn't responsible for keeping Skweres on the force, said Howard McQuillan, president of Fraternal Order of Police Fort Pitt Lodge 1.
Until Skweres finished the police academy and his field training, he wasn't covered by the union contract, and the city could have fired him at will, he said.
Instead, the city allowed Skweres to take the psychological exam three times and did not attempt to remove him from the force before the FBI got involved, he said.
“They never even filed any disciplinary actions on him,” McQuillan said.
Sanchez Ridge declined comment on the city's handling of the complaints against Skweres.
Brian Bowling is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-325-4301 or bbowling@tribweb.com.
