HUBBARD A former Hubbard Township police officer is suing the township, along with one of the trustees for allegedly retaliating against him.

According to the lawsuit filed in the Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas on Wednesday, September 10, former officer Chris Gifford is suing the township and trustee Bill Coletta for alleged retaliation.

Gifford alleges that Coletta had retaliated against him for rescinding an endorsement for Coletta's election when Gifford was president of Hubbard Township's police union.

The suit alleges that Coletta retaliated by opposing Gifford's promotion, making "veiled threats" and initiating "baseless investigations."

For example, the suit alleges that during a meeting between the police department and trustees, Coletta told officers that if anyone were to leave Hubbard Township to work for another agency, it would be "career suicide" for them.

"Coletta's career suicide comment implied that he would harm the officers' careers in retaliation for the officers searching for another job," the suit reads.

The suit further states that when Gifford took a medical mental health leave in December of 2023 due to trauma from an on-duty shooting, he submitted an accommodations request for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

According to the suit, a social worker documented in January of 2024 that Gifford was going under medical treatment and would be on leave until at least March 4, 2024. The suit states that Gifford informed then Hubbard Township Police Chief Ron Fusco of this leave.

The suit alleges that despite this, Coletta contacted Gifford during his medical leave asking for an updated doctor's note, details about his next appointment and when he may return to work.

"Colletta's message to Gifford was harassing. Coletta's message to Gifford was a retaliatory attempt to pressure Gifford to shorten his medically-necessary leave time," the suit reads.

The suit alleges that Coletta had engaged in disability discrimination due to Gifford's PTSD, and did not contact other officers on vacation or leave to demand medical documentation or a tentative return date.

According to the suit, Coletta also accused Gifford of stealing union documents, which triggered an internal investigation. The suit states those documents were locked in a safe in Gifford's office at the police station, and that Gifford was ultimately cleared of suspicion of wrongdoing.

"The investigation of stolen documents subjected Gifford to unnecessary stress and hostility during a time when he was supposed to be focusing on his medical recovery," the suit reads.

Finally, the suit states that when Gifford applied for a job at another agency, that agency sent Hubbard Township a request for the calculation of his hours worked at the police department. These hours would have been added to a calculation of Gifford's benefits.

The suit alleges that the township did not provide Giffords hours, but did provide hours for other officers who were leaving for other agencies.

"Because Hubbard did not provide the hours Gifford worked for Hubbard in that year, his next agency was not able to award him with the total amount of sick time and vacation time, for which he was eligible," the suit reads.

21 News has reached out to Coletta for comment. Coletta tells 21 News he has no comment except that the allegations laid out in the suit are not true. 

You can read the full lawsuit below.