Mayor Paine Response To Breastfeeding Policy Claims In Lawsuit

April 25, 2025

Matt McConico,

SUPERIOR, WI – In a statement to FOX21 Superior Mayor Jim Paine said, “The City of Superior has both the facilities and policies necessary to fully support pregnant and breastfeeding mothers over and above the requirements imposed by law.”

Superior Mayor Jim Paine

His statement is following claims in a lawsuit from Superior Police Department Investigator Mikayla Marie LeRette.

LeRette claims in a federal lawsuit, “There was no area within the police department designated for lactating mothers. Because there was no better alternative offered to her by her superiors, Plaintiff LeRette agreed to put a chair in the women’s locker room (which includes toilets, sinks, and showers, and almost no privacy)…. she would place a chair behind a curtain in the shower stall, use an extension cord to connect the pump to electricity in the shower area.”

Those claims were from November of 2022 until September of 2023.

Mayor Paine’s statement to FOX21 continued, “While we are still learning the facts surrounding this allegation, the city has regularly increased our support for working parents on our staff.”

LeRette says she was also often interrupted while expressing breast milk.

Another part of LeRette’s lawsuit claims a member of the police department placed an electronic tracking device on the police vehicles that she was assigned.

LeRette is married to Superior Police Chief Paul Winterscheidt.

Some of the incidents in the lawsuit allegedly happened before and after LeRette’s husband became Chief of Police.

There have been rumors that a number of people within the Superior Police Department have been place on leave due to misconduct.

Winterscheidt could not comment on the lawsuit, but did tell FOX21 there are only two members of the police department currently on leave.

He said one person is on medical leave, and the other on parental/family leave.