This story by John Lippman was first published by the Valley News on May 3.
WOODSTOCK — Former Police Chief Joe Swanson has filed a $5 million lawsuit against village trustees and the municipal manager that alleges he was unlawfully ousted from his job and “maliciously maligned.”
Swanson, a 25-year veteran of the Woodstock Police Department who was named chief in 2023, filed a 31-page civil complaint in Windsor County Superior Court on Tuesday that claims his demotion to patrol officer harmed his professional reputation and “caused him to suffer extreme emotional distress and economic damage.”
The lawsuit was filed by Swanson’s attorney, Linda Fraas of Manchester, New Hampshire. Last month, after the trustees backed Municipal Manager Eric Duffy’s decision to demote Swanson, Fraas announced that the former chief planned to take legal action.
Swanson’s lawsuit relies in part on testimony that Fraas had elicited from Duffy and police department employees during a public hearing in March before the five-member Village Trustees. Swanson sought that hearing to contest his demotion.
The lawsuit alleges six violations, including breach of contract, wrongful discharge, infliction of emotional distress and conspiracy, among others.
Named as defendants are the five village trustees — Seton McIlroy, Brenda Blakeman, Jeffrey Kahn, Frank Horneck and Lisa Lawlor — as well as Duffy, the firm Duffy had hired to conduct an investigation of Swanson, and both the town and village of Woodstock. (The police department, which falls under village oversight, serves all of Woodstock.)
The lawsuit alleges that the trustees “jointly conspired to intentionally and maliciously demote (Swanson) knowing that there was no legal authority to do so” under his contract with the town. It also offers examples of alleged conflicts of interest, favoritism, secret dealings and ethical lapses by some trustees as they sought to push Swanson out of his job.
Swanson, who returned to work as a patrol officer on April 24, is requesting a jury trial.
None of the named defendants responded to an email seeking comment as of press time on Thursday. Under Vermont law, defendants have 21 days from the date of being served with the complaint to file an answer.
“We are confident that justice will prevail and that Joe is grateful for the outpouring of support he has received from the townspeople,” Fraas said in an email to the Valley News on Thursday.
Fraas added she is in the process of preparing a Rule 75 petition to appeal the trustees’ decision in Windsor County District Court.
The lawsuit lays out in detail the timeline of events and alleged actions of the defendants over the nearly seven months. It begins with a minor road-rage incident involving Swanson’s husband that ultimately led into an investigation of Swanson’s leadership of the police department.
During a marathon public hearing in March that lasted 14 ½ hours, several members of the police department voiced their unhappiness with Swanson’s tenure as police chief. Witnesses included the department’s second in command, Sgt. Chris O’Keefe, who now is serving as interim chief.
Most of the complaints centered around allegations of poor communication, disorganization and showing up at the police station out of uniform.
Following the public hearing in March, the trustees prepared a written report that supported Duffy’s decision to demote Swanson. That report has not been made public.
In addition to his career on the police force, Swanson previously served as chair of the Woodstock Town Selectboard. He is the son of Phil Swanson, who for 34 years was the town manager of Woodstock. The town’s police, fire and emergency headquarters was named in his honor.
