Pittsfield, Massachusetts has settled the second of two federal lawsuits by former police officers who claimed the city retaliated against them for whistleblowing.
Christopher Kennedy, 57, says he wasn’t promoted because of his age. With roughly 27 years on the force, he complained, and later filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in August 2015 against the city.
The city claimed Kennedy did not have the supervisory experience for a promotion, and that he had a questionable record on the force. Kennedy claimed he was being pushed into retirement.
Kennedy sought up to $600,000; details of the settlement were not disclosed.
A similar lawsuit was filed by Sgt. Mark Lenihan in April 2015. Another current suit against the city by a female police officer claims workplace discrimination and harassment.
