Laurel Anne Hester (August 15, 1956 – February 18, 2006) was a police lieutenant with the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office in New Jersey, who rose to national attention with her deathbed appeal for the extension of pension benefits to her domestic partner. Her battle was shown in Freeheld (2007), the winner of the Academy Award for Best Short Documentary, and the feature film of the same name (2015), in which Hester was portrayed by Julianne Moore.