Northwestern denied Tuesday any wrongdoing in response to a University Police officer’s allegations of sexual harassment and gender discrimination.

In a lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court, Sgt. Haydee Martinez alleges another sergeant sexually harassed her for being lesbian. After she reported the incident, she claims the department put her on an unfavorable shift when she returned from maternity leave, among other forms of retaliation.

In asking the court to rule in the University’s favor, NU attorney Jenny Goltz argues Martinez did not exhaust her options before suing the school. Martinez could have taken advantage of “preventative or corrective opportunities provided by the University” as well as its internal process for complaining about discrimination or retaliation, according to NU’s response to the lawsuit.

Martinez’s attorney was not immediately available for comment Tuesday night.

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Twitter: @PatrickSvitek