Woman sues McDonald's for wrongful termination after LMPD officer falsely testified she stole from store

Digital Reporter

Shayla Simpson has already been paid $150,000 in a lawsuit

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A woman who was arrested and lost her job after a Louisville Metro Police officer falsely testified she stole money from her job has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against her former employer, McDonald’s.

In December 2021, Shayla Simpson was paid $150,000 by the city to settle a federal lawsuit accusing former Officer John Green of twice testifying there was surveillance video showing she stole money from a safe while working at McDonald's in the 2900 block of Breckenridge Lane.

However, the surveillance video from Aug. 15, 2019, clearly showed another employee taking the money.

Green never watched the video yet told McDonald’s to fire Simpson and wrongfully incarcerated her, according to court records.

In March, Green was sentenced to one year incarceration on perjury charges, which was to be probated for five years as long as he followed several conditions, including staying out of trouble and not owning a firearm.

On Tuesday, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of Simpson in Jefferson Circuit Court against McDonald’s and the owner of the location that fired her.

The owner of the McDonald’s could not immediately be reached for comment.

Claims made in filing a lawsuit present only one side of the case.

Simpson, who worked for McDonald’s for 20 years, said she called police when she discovered the night deposit was missing from the store safe on Aug. 15, 2019, according to the suit.

Surveillance video clearly showed Simpson putting the deposit into the safe, but she was never allowed to view the video, the suit says.

When she refused to take a polygraph test, arguing they are unreliable, McDonald’s fired her, Simpson claims.

While the charges against Simpson were dropped and another employee later pleaded guilty, Simpson claims she was denied unemployment benefits, forcing her to “cash in her retirement early in order to provide for her family,” according to the suit.

The suit is seeking a jury trial and unspecified monetary damages.

Meanwhile, prosecutors are trying to revoke Green’s probation and put him in jail, arguing he has been involved in a domestic violence incident and refused to quit drinking, according to court records.

In April, a woman asked for an emergency protective order against Green, claiming he was verbally abusive, "threw a wine rack" at her and "thinks he's above the law because he was a police officer," according to court records.

The issue was later settled between the two and the order was dismissed.

Green also told a probation officer that he regularly drinks alcohol. When told that he was not allowed to do that while on probation, he said, "he would not be stopping drinking alcohol because he is not an alcoholic," according to court records outlying Green's alleged violations.

Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Scott Drabenstadt described this as a "total refusal to comply with an important condition of probation," according to his motion.

Green has a hearing Nov. 3 in Jefferson Circuit Court where prosecutors will ask a judge to either revoke Green's probation and incarcerate him or "issue appropriate sanctions."

Attorney Steve Schroering, who represents Green, responded in court records that Green has entered anger control counseling and is following the conditions of his probation.

Green was actually charged in two separate cases with perjury, but both were rolled together for the March 8 sentencing hearing.

He was also indicted in another perjury case in December 2021 after prosecutors said he misrepresented statements of a victim that ultimately led to two women wrongfully being charged with assault.

The two women, Jorian Stigall and Christian Murphy, were charged with assault after Green wrote and testified that the pair jumped another woman and "stomped" on her until her leg broke in March 2017 at an apartment complex off Breckinridge Lane. However, according to prosecutors, the victim in the case actually told Green that she had no idea how her leg was broken.

Green was accused of repeating the lie during a probable cause hearing and during testimony to a grand jury. The grand jury chose not to indict Stigall or Murphy.

Those charges against Green were dismissed and combined with the Simpson perjury case.

Green retired from LMPD in 2021.

Digital Reporter

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