Former Northfield police chief Pierre Gomez, who resigned in October, has sued the town for alleged racial discrimination and tolerating an atmosphere of racial harassment.
The complaint filed Tuesday in Washington County Superior Court alleges that town officials violated the state’s fair employment laws, and alleges breach of contract and good faith on the part of Northfield, a Washington County town of about 5,900.
Gomez, who identifies as Black and Latino, specifically asserts in the complaint that town leaders ignored his objections and permitted continued racial harassment and discrimination against him, did not investigate the incidents and denied him workplace protections against harassment afforded to white employees. As a result, he alleged, this led to the creation of an “intimidating, hostile, and offensive work environment.”
“No individual should ever be treated differently or denied opportunities based on their race,” Gomez wrote in an emailed statement. “I have dedicated my career in law enforcement to hard work and always doing what is right. I look forward to presenting my factual written and recorded documentation regarding my allegations.
“I am also looking forward to finally getting answers from town leadership on their questionable judgement and non-compliant behavior in regards to ethics and town policies.”
His complaint states that he suffered lost wages and benefits, as well as emotional distress, and seeks unnamed compensatory and punitive damages to be determined at trial.
Northfield Town Manager Mary Smith said via email the town had no comment on the lawsuit.
Gomez, 58, was hired in September 2023 as chief of police in Northfield — home to Norwich University — after former chief of police John Helfant retired amid controversy in May 2023. Originally from Pennsylvania, Gomez moved to Vermont with more than two decades of law enforcement experience after retiring as a detective in Philadelphia.
He reported facing racial harassment since he moved to Northfield. In one key incident the complaint cites, Lynn Doney, a former selectman who worked as a Washington County deputy sheriff and a Northfield EMT, made a racist remark in April 2025 regarding Gomez. Doney said that Gomez wearing a hoodie on duty instead of wearing his uniform made him look like “a gangster off the street that’s just driving our cruisers around.” Northfield residents angered by Doney’s remark then packed a select board meeting to support Gomez.
The complaint noted that Doney allegedly began targeting Gomez weeks before that comment. According to the lawsuit, Doney accused Gomez of leaving the scene of an accident. Gomez defended himself by saying that Doney was not working the day of the alleged accident, the complaint said. But the town did not take action against Doney for his allegedly false accusation, the complaint said.
The town fired Doney from his EMT job after his comments about the hoodie last year. Doney filed a lawsuit against the town for his termination in December, according to The Barre-Montpelier Times Argus. Doney did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.
The complaint also names multiple other Northfield Emergency Medical Services employees who, the lawsuit says, accused Gomez of mismanagement or mistreatment, alleging that their actions stem from one EMS employee being passed over for Northfield’s police chief role. Gomez told then-Town Manager Jeff Schulz about the behavior, and that Gomez believed the EMS workers’ criticisms were rooted in racial discrimination, but Schulz did not discipline the employees, according to the complaint.
Schulz, who left his position in December, said via email that his settlement agreement with the town prohibits him from commenting on the lawsuit.
Last July, while on duty, Gomez said he was accosted by a resident who “ranted and raved” at him using racist terms, substantiated by an eyewitness and verified by a recording Gomez provided to the town and to VTDigger. Gomez resigned the following month, citing ongoing racial discrimination as a factor in his decision.
According to the complaint, Gomez is now working at a new, unspecified job but is making far less money. The complaint also said that Gomez has suffered in his relationships and faced “difficult choices” since his departure.
“The abrupt end to Plaintiff’s role as Chief after decades of preparation has left him feeling that years of effort and achievement have been rendered worthless and that his professional reputation has been permanently tainted,” the lawsuit said.
