An Oakdale police officer is suing the city and Police Chief Bill Sullivan, accusing them of harassment and retaliation after he complained a supervisor was making sexually inappropriate and homophobic comments toward his officers.
Officer Sean Coffey argued in a lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court that he was defamed and deprived of his right to free speech after he reported the violations and complained about low morale in the department. He also claims the city’s actions violated the state’s whistle-blower act.
Coffey and his attorney were not available for comment Monday night. Sullivan said he had not seen the lawsuit and couldn’t comment on pending litigation.
Coffey was fired after a vote by the city council in March 2009. Police supervisors claimed he recorded a vehicle license number incorrectly, which resulted in the towing of the wrong vehicle, and then lied about the mistake.
Sullivan also argued in that council meeting that Coffey, who has been with the department since 1999, had a lengthy history of insubordination and disciplinary actions.
But Coffey and his union representative countered that Sullivan has a history of retaliation and harassment and that Coffey was just his latest target.
Coffey has said he was one of 12 officers who met with Sullivan in June 2008 to express concerns about the supervisor’s comments. An internal investigation of him was initiated after that, Coffey said.
The patrol union also passed a vote of no confidence in Sullivan, arguing in a letter to city leaders that his lack of leadership has produced low morale in the department and forced many officers to leave.
The lawsuit contends that Sullivan made a number of defamatory comments after the firing to newspaper reporters and in public meetings. At an April 14, 2009, city council meeting, Sullivan allegedly “attacked officer Coffey’s job performance and general competence, while accusing him of being ‘dishonorable,’ and of telling lies that had ‘spread halfway around the world.’ ”
Coffey challenged his termination, and in October 2009, the city rehired him after a labor arbitrator ruled that he was wrongly fired. The arbitrator ordered that the city also give him back pay, minus wages from a 40-hour unpaid suspension.
Since his reinstatement, Coffey has continued to face retaliation from his superiors, the lawsuit argues. In February 2010, he argues, he received an unfairly negative performance review.
Coffey also claims that a week after Sullivan found out he was filing a lawsuit against the city and the chief, his supervisors launched an internal investigation against him for paperwork completion errors.
“Chief Sullivan has a pattern and practice of harassment and retaliation directed at officers who have fallen out of his favor or that he views as insubordinate,” the lawsuit states.
Megan Boldt can be reached at 651-228-5495.
