Former Phoenix officer acquitted of sexual assault suing for wrongful termination: 'Malicious liars'

PHOENIX - A former Phoenix police officer who had been accused of sexual assault while on-duty is now filing suit against the department for wrongful termination.

Sean Pena was fired from the Phoenix Police Department back in 2020. A year ago, he was acquitted on all charges.

The former police officer was accused of sexually assaulting three women on three separate occasions while on the job. The incidents reportedly took place between August 2018 and August 2019.

The City of Phoenix settled lawsuits with two of the accusers for more than $400,000.

Pena first went on trial early last year and was found not guilty on two of the seven charges against him.

Then, in a second trial in August of last year, he was found not guilty of the rest of the charges.

Former Phoenix cop sues department

A former Phoenix police officer who had been accused of sexual assault while on-duty is now filing suit against the department for wrongful termination. FOX 10's Anita Roman reports.

Pena and his attorneys are calling his accusers 'malicious liars.'

They also claim that there was a rush to judgment to have him fired. They further claim that Pena passed a lie detector test and that there was no physical evidence to back up any of the allegations.

Pena and his attorneys are suing on several counts, including wrongful termination, malicious prosecution, false arrest, and conspiracy.

In addition, Pena's lawsuit names the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, the City of Phoenix, and several people who were involved in the criminal case against him.

The law firm representing Pena is holding a news conference Thursday morning to discuss the case.

Crime and Public Safety Phoenix News