Shelton Fire Marshal James Tortora is suing the city’s Board of Fire Commissioners, several of its former members, and an alderman, saying they went on a campaign of defamation to disgrace Tortora and get him fired.
The 41-page lawsuit claims a conspiracy hatched among the defendants caused Tortora “severe financial harm and loss, severe emotional distress, loss of personal and professional reputation, humiliation, embarrassment, loss of privacy, upset, anxiety, inconvenience, physical harm, (and) loss of employment opportunities.”
The lawsuit, served last week, lists current fire commissioner Justin Sabatino and former commissioners Robert Araujo, David Sekelsky, Merle Chase, and Bruce Kosowsky as defendants.
Current Alderman Jack Finn is also listed as a defendant.
The allegations referenced in the lawsuit go back several years, mostly between late 2006 and early 2007.
The complaint is similar to a lawsuit filed by Tortora in 2009 which never went to trial.
Shelton Corporation Counsel Thomas Welch declined to comment on the case Tuesday. He said the city’s insurance company will refer the matter to another law firm within the next few weeks.
Tortora’s lawyer, William Palmieri of New Haven, said Monday that fire commissioners made false, politically motivated attacks against Tortora.
“Can you spell witch hunt?” Palmieri said in summing up Tortora’s lawsuit.
“He’s in a town that has some very strong political feelings, so if you’re on one side of the political fence, then others on the other side perceive themselves as your enemy, correctly or incorrectly,” Palmieri said.
The complaint says Tortora is looking for more than $15,000 in damages and attorney fees.
Palmieri said he didn’t have a specific dollar value in mind.
“It’s hard to put a dollar value on a person’s reputation,” the lawyer said.
“Juries are very intelligent,” Palmieri went on. “When they see someone who’s been honored as much as Jim has and has brought as much honor to the position as he has, it will certainly move a jury to feel that this kind of reprehensible conduct is something they need to address fairly stridently.”
The complaint, a copy of which is posted below this story, alleges that on several occasions, “the defendants disciplined, attempted to discipline, publicly disparaged, harassed and otherwise falsely asserted” authority over Tortora even though Mayor Mark Lauretti is Tortora’s supervisor.
“The defendant Board and the individual Commissioners are not now, nor have they ever been responsible for the employment oversight and supervision of the plaintiff, nor did or do they have administrative or supervisory authority in personnel matters concerning the plaintiff,” the lawsuit says.
In an effort to disgrace Tortora and “cause his termination,” the lawsuit claims the defendants:
- Demanded time cards from Tortora even though he is a salaried employee
- Harassed and tried to discipline Tortora for caring for his young children and having them in his city vehicle
- Participated in a “false and malicious” criminal investigation of Tortora in an attempt to “harass, disparage, and intimidate” him
Those named also alleged Tortora didn’t conduct enough inspections and failed to do his job in other ways.