--- title: "Connecticut Jury Rules for Town of Stratford in Police Officer Employment Retaliation Case" meta: "og:description": "The CT jury favored the Town of Stratford, in a tort case involving alleged retaliation and disciplinary actions against a police officer." "og:title": "Connecticut Jury Rules for Town of Stratford in Police Officer Employment Retaliation Case" description: "The CT jury favored the Town of Stratford, in a tort case involving alleged retaliation and disciplinary actions against a police officer." --- July 18, 2024 # **Connecticut Jury Rules for Town of Stratford in Police Officer Employment Retaliation Case** The CT jury favored the Town of Stratford, in a tort case involving alleged retaliation and disciplinary actions against a police officer. [**Employment Discrimination**](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/connecticut-jury-rules-for-town-of-stratford-in-police-officer-employment-retaliation-case/jury-verdict/category/employment-discrimination-labor-and-employment-law) [**Labor and Employment Law**](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/connecticut-jury-rules-for-town-of-stratford-in-police-officer-employment-retaliation-case/jury-verdict/category/labor-and-employment-law) [**Tort-other**](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/connecticut-jury-rules-for-town-of-stratford-in-police-officer-employment-retaliation-case/jury-verdict/category/tort-other) ### **Outline** Author ![](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/connecticut-jury-rules-for-town-of-stratford-in-police-officer-employment-retaliation-case/_ipx/q_80/user-default.svg) **Nishica Srivastava** ![Article Image](https://media.jurimatic.com/cdn-cgi/image/q=70/images/default_1.webp) ## Zona, Anthony v. Town of Stratford c/o Town Clerk On January 31, 2024, the Connecticut jury returned the verdict in favor of the Defendant, the Town of Stratford in the present tort case arising from alleged retaliation and harsh discipline against the Plaintiff police officer. ### Case Background On April 20, 2021, Officer Anthony Zona filed a lawsuit alleging retaliation by superiors before the Connecticut Superior Court, New Haven Judicial Division. Hon. Karen Goodrow presided over this case. [Case number: NNH-CV21-6113292-S] #### Cause The Plaintiff had a distinguished career as a law enforcement officer. He had served in the New Haven Police Department for many years before retiring. After retirement, he joined the Stratford Police Department in Connecticut. The Defendant is a municipality in Connecticut that employs the Plaintiff as a police officer. On March 21, 2020, the Plaintiff arrested a suspect involved in a shooting on East Broadway in Stratford. On March 23, 2020, while the suspect was in a holding cell at the Stratford Police Department, Lt Santo, Sgt Giansanti, and other officers entered the cellblock. They confronted the suspect because he had covered the video camera in his cell. After they left the cellblock, the suspect was found severely injured and needed hospitalization in the Intensive Care Unit. On April 13, 2020, a federal grand jury subpoena required the Stratford Police Department to produce the cellblock video from March 23. Four days later, the Plaintiff was placed on administrative leave. They ordered him to surrender his badge and identification and barred him from police headquarters. On April 27, 2020, Sgt Giansanti accused the Plaintiff of reporting the cellblock incident to the FBI. He complained to another officer and a department detective that the Plaintiff had disclosed the wrongdoing. On July 27, 2020, Lt Santo suspended the Plaintiff without pay for 15 days based on false accusations of rudeness. This punishment was significantly harsher than those given to other officers for comparable offenses. It constituted [employment discrimination](https://jurimatic.com/category/labor-and-employment-law/employment-discrimination-labor-and-employment-law/) and a suit for retaliation was filed. #### Injury Defendant's alleged retaliation and harsh discipline caused the Plaintiff to suffer economic losses and also endure significant emotional distress. #### Damages The Plaintiff sought judgment for compensatory damages, back pay, and any other equitable relief the court deemed just, reasonable, and fair. Additionally, the Plaintiff requested judgment for punitive damages, attorney fees, and costs as provided by section 31-51q of the Connecticut General Statutes. ### Key Arguments and Proceedings #### Legal Representation - **Plaintiff(s):**Anthony Zona - **Counsel for Plaintiff(s):**John R Williams - **Defendant(s):**Town of Stratford c/o Town clerk - **Counsel for Defendant(s):**Richard J. Buturla #### Claims Plaintiff argued that reporting the wrongdoing in the Stratford Police cell block on March 23, 2020, protected his rights under Sections 3, 4, and 14 of Article First of the Connecticut Constitution. This reporting did not interfere substantially or materially with his job performance or his working relationship with his employer. The Defendant imposed harsh discipline on the Plaintiff in retaliation, believing he reported the incident to the FBI. This retaliation violated section 31-51q of the Connecticut General Statutes. #### Defense The Defendants refuted the accusations and claimed that the Plaintiff had not sufficiently stated a claim for which relief could be provided. They argued that the Plaintiff's speech was not aimed at public issues but was instead retaliation for a personal conflict with a superior officer in the Stratford Police Department. They further contended that the Plaintiff's speech significantly disrupted his genuine job performance or working relationship with his employer. ### Jury Verdict On January 31, 2024, the Connecticut jury returned the verdict in favor of the Defendant, the Town of Stratford, and the Plaintiff was not entitled to recover any damages. On the same date, Hon. Karen Goodrow entered a judgment upholding the verdict. #### Court Documents: [Complaint](https://civilinquiry.jud.ct.gov/DocumentInquiry/DocumentInquiry.aspx?DocumentNo=21114404) [Answer](https://civilinquiry.jud.ct.gov/DocumentInquiry/DocumentInquiry.aspx?DocumentNo=22317467) [Verdict](https://civilinquiry.jud.ct.gov/DocumentInquiry/DocumentInquiry.aspx?DocumentNo=26791410) [Share with Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/connecticut-jury-rules-for-town-of-stratford-in-police-officer-employment-retaliation-case) [Share with X](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/connecticut-jury-rules-for-town-of-stratford-in-police-officer-employment-retaliation-case&text=x) [Share with LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/connecticut-jury-rules-for-town-of-stratford-in-police-officer-employment-retaliation-case) [Share with Email](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/connecticut-jury-rules-for-town-of-stratford-in-police-officer-employment-retaliation-case/mailto:?body=https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/connecticut-jury-rules-for-town-of-stratford-in-police-officer-employment-retaliation-case&subject=email) [Share with WhatsApp](https://api.whatsapp.com/send?text=https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/connecticut-jury-rules-for-town-of-stratford-in-police-officer-employment-retaliation-case%20whatsapp) ### **Find your next Expert Witness today** ![Sanjay Adhia](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/connecticut-jury-rules-for-town-of-stratford-in-police-officer-employment-retaliation-case/_ipx/q_80/user-default.svg) ###### **Sanjay Adhia** Forensic Psychiastry ![George Reis](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/connecticut-jury-rules-for-town-of-stratford-in-police-officer-employment-retaliation-case/_ipx/q_80/user-default.svg) ###### **George Reis** Forensic Imaging ![Maria Babinetz](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/connecticut-jury-rules-for-town-of-stratford-in-police-officer-employment-retaliation-case/_ipx/q_80/user-default.svg) ###### **Maria Babinetz** Vocational Rehabilitation Find and retain experts without brokerage or upcharge. ### Looking for more? 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