Cranberry Township denied in a federal court filing Thursday that it acted in a discriminatory manner in responding to a pregnant police officer’s request for light duty.

The officer, Tiffani Shaffer, filed suit in November, claiming the police department cut her hours after she told Police Chief Kevin Meyer she was pregnant, and retaliated against her for filing a discrimination complaint. In response, the township claimed it offered her all light duties available, which at times did not constitute a 40-hour workweek, and said no such retaliation occurred.

The police department is part of the municipality and not a separate organization.

In its answer to Shaffer’s civil complaint, the township said that when Shaffer informed it of her pregnancy in June 2018, HR Manager Stacey Goettler said she would check with Shaffer’s doctor to confirm which duties would be possible for her to perform, and that would affect her scheduling.

“Ms. Goettler told Officer Shaffer that there was no guarantee of 40 hours of work, and that it would depend on what her doctor recommends and/or any restrictions that may be placed by Officer Shaffer’s doctor,” the answer states.

Shaffer claimed Meyer told her he couldn’t provide her with a 40-hour weekly schedule. That conversation, according to the lawsuit, occurred when Meyer asked Shaffer why she filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and she said because she wanted a full-time schedule. The township’s version of that conversation differs.

“Chief Meyer told Officer Shaffer that he would continue to give her work within her medical restrictions as it became available, and would give her notice (of available work) a week ahead of time,” the filing states.

The township denied that it retaliated against Shaffer by cutting duties — such as processing firearm application violation cases or handling fingerprints — as she had claimed, instead assigning duties to her based on restrictions from her doctor.

The police department, the filing reads, does not have a written light-duty policy, and the township denied Shaffer’s allegation that male officers were scheduled for 40-hour weeks when they requested light duty. It added, however, that it is “without sufficient or adequate knowledge” to definitively state the hours worked per week by other officers on light duty.

“Defendant has accommodated light duty requests, despite having no written policy or contract to do so for police officers, to the extent possible based upon work available at the time and the position of the requesting officer in terms of his or her job duties,” the filing states.

Cranberry also disputed part of Shaffer’s request, saying she cannot seek punitive damages because the township is a public entity that is exempt from paying punitive damages as a matter of law. Shaffer seeks compensation for lost wages, compensatory damages, attorney’s fees, punitive damages and an injunction prohibiting the township from discriminatory practices.