Two police officers and a former dispatcher want a federal jury trial against the Town of Woodstock, its police department, police chief Clayton Keefe and officer Phil Sinagra (who has now been on paid administrative leave for a year), alleging unlawful discrimination and a hostile work environment.
In a 13-page complaint filed March 27 in the Northern District Court of New York by union attorney Sue Edwards, officers Tiffany Croizer and Gabrielle LaLima and former dispatcher Michelle Sullivan seek injunctive relief and monetary damages determined by the jury.
An internal investigation in June 2022 found no significant issues, leading Edwards to file EEOC complaints on behalf of Croizer, LaLima, Sullivan, sergeant Adam McGrath and officer Brian Williams in May 2023, in which she alleged the town probe had been insufficient.
This January, the federal Equal Opportunity Employment Commission declined to proceed with an investigation of the charges filed by Croizer, LaLima and Sullivan. Similar EEOC complaints filed by McGrath and Williams were forwarded to the state Division of Human Rights.
The EEOC only provides information if it files a lawsuit in court.
“As a direct and proximate result of the defendants’ wrongful conduct, plaintiffs have suffered, and continue to suffer, severe economic and emotional damages,” reads the complaint in part.
Croizer, LaLima and Sullivan ask the court to declare the actions of the defendants a violation of the federal Civil Rights Act and the state Human Rights Law.
The full complaint is available at https://copper-karlen-90.tiiny.site/
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