Four years after it was filed, a lawsuit between a trio of politically connected bar owners in Derby has been dismissed.
In July 2010, Jeffrey Hughes took Paolo and Anthony Staffieri, Jr. to court over the ownership of Connie’s, a bar and restaurant on Elizabeth Street.
Hughes is the younger brother of Ken Hughes, who was president of the Derby Board of Aldermen at the time the lawsuit was filed.
Paolo and Anthony are the sons of Anthony Staffieri, who was mayor of Derby at the time the lawsuit was filed. Ken Hughes had been Mayor Staffieri’s campaign manager.
Jeffrey Hughes owned Connie’s with the Staffieri brothers. His lawsuit alleged the brothers illegally pushed him out as an owner and literally locked him out of the business.
The Staffieri brothers disagreed, saying the issue was just a business deal gone sour.
Hughes was suing for an unspecified amount of money and access to the business.
Then-Mayor Staffieri was initially named as a defendant in the lawsuit, because Hughes said the mayor called city police on him when he attempted to enter the business.
Mayor Staffieri was dropped as a defendant in January 2012.
Judge John W. Moran ordered the lawsuit dismissed on July 16, after Hughes’ attorney failed to appear at a status conference in Milford court. Paolo Staffieri was present at the status conference, according to a court filing. The Staffieri brothers represented themselves in the lawsuit.
The case had been dormant for a year prior to being thrown out.
Connie’s closed in June 2010, then reopened a few months later with a new owner. It closed again in 2011.
Later in 2011 it was reborn under new owners as “Bar None” and has been stable since.
Former Mayor Staffieri and his brother still own the building, according to local and state land records and business filings.
