When viewers first met Courtney Sloane, she was Summer Newman's best friend in high school. One summer, she joined Summer as an intern at Jabot Cosmetics. Summer's half-brother, Noah Newman, eventually became romantically involved with Courtney. Fen Baldwin shocked Summer with the knowledge that his drug dealer Raven had told him that Courtney was her biggest customer. Summer told Noah, and they both realized how little they knew about Courtney, that in all the years they had know her, she had never spoken of her family, nor had either of them met them. Summer confronted Courtney, and she said that she was estranged from her mother, father, and older sister, and denied buying drugs. Having never shown any signs of drug use, Summer believed her. But Noah was still skeptical, especially since she kept getting calls and texts from someone named Zach. Courtney explained that Zach was family, and was really messed up.

When Noah found drugs in Courtney's purse, she claimed that Zach had given them to her to dispose of. Shortly afterward, Courtney broke up with Noah. Noah caught Courtney with known drug-dealer, Raven, and intervened in an attempt to rescue her. Courtney tried to explain to Noah that she still cared about him, she kissed him, and apologized that she was unable to tell him more.

Then Noah saw Courtney take money from a guy in the park. Noah came up behind them and discovered that the guy was in handcuffs. Courtney had to admit that she was a cop, that she was the same age as Noah, but had been in high school with Summer undercover because she looked so young, and that her internship at Jabot had also been a cover. Rather than being relieved, Noah yelled at her that she was a stranger, that nothing she had ever told him was true, and she was not the girl he had fallen in love with. In time they got back together when Courtney helped him celebrate his birthday. But after another bust situation occurred and Noah was concerned for her safety, Courtney asked Police Chief Paul Williams to become a street cop instead of working under cover. Noah asked Courtney to live with him after Tyler moved out to live with Abby. Noah and Courtney began a playful relationship, often enjoying a sex game of cops and robbers.

Courtney had odd encounters with Detective Harding, who smirked when Noah called him out for talking down to Courtney and calling her sweetheart in a derogatory way, and inferring that Courtney does not work hard for her job.

Attorney, Avery Bailey Clark, reported that she was being harassed by a stalker on the Internet, and she later disappeared. Kevin tracked Avery's cell to an apartment, and Dylan took off to rescue her. Dylan arrived by way of the fire escape and jumped Austin. As they wrestled for Austin's gun, Paul, Courtney, and Detective Harding arrived, the gun went off, and Paul was shot in the gut. While Harding attempted to stop Paul's bleeding, Courtney followed Austin who ran for the fire escape. Courtney fired, shooting Austin in the shoulder, but he escaped. Paul was taken to the hospital with severe liver damage, and was not expected to live, but he survived after a transplant.

Noah gave Courtney a bracelet for Christmas and did not even realize how broken hearted she became when he told his friends there would be no wedding in his future.

Noah, Kevin, Mariah, Summer, Austin, and Fenmore each received unsigned invitations to a Valentine Day party at Abbott cabin. After they arrived, they deduced that Abby was the hostess since she was the only Abbott there. Abby admitted that she had not wanted to be alone, and that they would never have come had they known. The group played a drinking game, "Never have I Ever", but when someone said "committed murder", Austin left the room upset. He told Summer it had reminded him of his mother. Courtney arrived, telling them that a snowstorm had closed the road behind her. Fen put a party drug in the punch which knocked everyone out, and they woke up to find Austin missing. They opened an armoire, and Austin's body fell out with blood on his head. Courtney tried to revive him, but declared him dead. Noah hugged a distraught Summer who suddenly remembered that she had hidden a brass bookend behind a sofa cushion, pulled it out, and screamed when she saw blood on it. Summer feared that she had killed Austin, but they reminded her that she could not have picked him up and stuffed him in the armoire. It was mentioned that fanfic writer Plato Sphere had recently written a similar murder story. Kevin admitted that he was writing as Plato Sphere in defending that they were not at all the same.

Noah, Mariah, and Kevin suggested a cover-up to protect Summer. Courtney refused to be a part of it, as it would make her a dirty cop, but they talked her into it. The guys put Austin's body outside in the snow as if he had fallen, and his blood on a nearby rock. Mariah suddenly remembered seeing Austin and Abby kissing earlier. She confronted Abby who admitted the kiss, but swore that nothing had been going on between them. Mariah pointed out that if Summer had seen them, it would have been a perfect motive. Courtney called the police but lost the cell signal before she could tell them why. Fen went out to get a ladder to support their story, and discovered Austin's body was gone. When the police arrived, they were told that Kevin had fallen from the roof trying to shovel off the deep snow, Austin had gone for help, but had never come back. As the group left for town, they wondered if Austin was really dead, or if someone else had killed him and taken the body. But later that night, police broke the news to Summer that they had found Austin dead behind the wheel of a wrecked car, and Summer identified the body in the morgue.

During Austin's memorial service, Summer suddenly remembered an argument she had witnessed while drugged that night at the cabin. Austin and Abby were admitting they were having an affair, and Austin wanting to tell Summer. After Summer thanked everyone for giving Austin a second chance, she glared at Abby and shouted, "YOU slept with my husband!" All eyes turned to Abby, who was mortified and ran out.

Summer and her friends returned to the cabin following Austin's memorial service, and the armoire was opened to reveal "I know what happened here" written in lipstick on the mirror inside. Courtney took a photo of it before Kyle removed it. Abby was later attacked in the park, and another lipstick message was left on her phone while she laid unconscious.

After viewing some of the deleted videos which Kevin had found and unencrypted on Austin's laptop, they began to believe that someone had killed Austin to keep their interview from being made public. After discovering that Austin had deleted an interview with Jack in Chancellor Park, Courtney and Kevin tried to check the park surveillance for that night in the police computer system, got caught, and Kevin was suspended.

Due to Austin's death, Noah began to realize that Courtney was the best thing to ever happen to him, and surprised her with a marriage proposal. Courtney joyfully responded yes. Noah told their friends he wanted to get married right away. The wedding was arranged for Chancellor Park, with Summer and Nick standing up for them. Courtney stopped at the police department and watched the video surveillance of Jack meeting Austin in Chancellor Park. When Courtney did not show up at the wedding, the young people all received a mysterious text asking them to meet her at the Abbott cabin. Meanwhile, a black gloved hand was seen inserting a memory stick into a CGPD computer which caused a virus to shut down the entire system, and Avery found Courtney's phone in a waste basket there. The group found Courtney dead in her wedding gown in the armoire at the cabin. A note in her hand said, "I warned you. Stop digging." Noah was heartbroken and refused to leave Courtney's side as paramedics confirmed she was dead, only later when her body was taken away. Paul and the police showed up, and the group had to admit Austin had been murdered to explain Courtney's. Paul interviewed each and was appalled that none had come forward about murder, but understood that they had been threatened.

Courtney's parents did not allow Noah to attend the funeral after his mother was accused of Courtney's murder. Noah believed in Sharon and stood by her.

It was later revealed that Marco Annicelli, a former head of a South American drug cartel, was a doppelganger of Jack Abbott, and posing a Jack. After Austin had video taped Marco and Jack in the park at the same time, Marco paid police detective Harding to erase the footage from Austin's hard drive. But Austin woke up and caught Harding, so Harding murdered Austin. Courtney had made the same discovery watching the security tape from the park, had shown it to Harding, and Harding murdered her to protect Marco.