National City is fighting back in a high-stakes courtroom sequel after a jury awarded former police officer Ashley Cummins $10 million in a workplace discrimination case last year. With interest and legal costs piling up, that bill is now pushing toward $15 million, a tab big enough to rattle the city’s public safety budget. This spring, city leaders voted to bring in outside attorneys to press an appeal as the meter keeps running.
What Jurors Found And How The Money Adds Up
In March 2025 a San Diego jury concluded that Cummins had been sexually harassed, discriminated against and retaliated against while working at the National City Police Department. Jurors awarded her $10 million, broken down into about $166,452 in past economic losses, roughly $1.4 million in future economic losses and about $4.2 million each for past and future noneconomic damages, according to Hogue + Belong. Post-trial motions were denied in June 2025, leaving the verdict on the books while the parties moved into the next legal round…