FISHKILL – Town of Fishkill Police Lieutenant Paul Schettino, a cop with 46 years of experience, is suing the Fishkill PD, the Town of Fishkill, Town Supervisor Ozzy Albra, and town board members John Forman, Greg Tottino, Brian Wrye, and Jackie Bardini. Police Sergeant Jason Murtaugh is also named as a defendant.
The lawsuit was filed after Schettino served the defendants with a notice of claim in June, hoping the town would address his concerns of being discriminated against, a hostile working environment, and defamation. The concerns, according to court documents, were not addressed and Schettino’s attorney, Brooke Youngwirth, filed the lawsuit. Asked about the suit, Lieutenant Schettino told , “On the advice of my attorney, I am not going to discuss the pending litigation.”
The lawsuit is believed to focus on discrimination, including the lieutenant being locked out. A portion of the documents indicates that the alleged hostile work environment is caused by internal politicseith the Town of Fishkill.
Youngwirth serves as labor counsel for several municipalities in the area, resulting in a familiarity with these types of disputes, but normally as the attorney representing the defendant.
The defendants have all been served with the summons in the matter but have not received the complaint with the allegations as of Saturday night. As a result, Youngwirth declined to discuss the specifics of the case until the documents have been served, instead saying, “I can’t comment on pending litigation other than to say that the Complaint, like the Notice of Claim that was served in June, will describe his (Schettino’s) claims in further detail.
A Mid-Hudson News source indicated that the town board members discussed the lawsuit during a recent executive session,
Town Supervisor Albra responded to Mid-Hudson News, disputing the allegations outlined in Schettino’s lawsuit. “Lieutenant Schettino filed a Summons with Notice with broad allegations, which we defendants) believe lack any merit. The town filed a Demand for Complaint in response to his Summons with Notice. Once we receive more details, I will have a better grasp of how to comment. Until then, anything I say would be speculative.”
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