County retirees sue over health benefits

AUBURN — More than a dozen retired Androscoggin County workers, including two surviving spouses, are suing the county over health care benefits.

In May, county commissioners sent a letter to former county workers notifying them that the county would no longer pay lifetime health care insurance premiums to husbands and wives of deceased retirees starting in July.

In the civil suit, filed last week in Androscoggin County Superior Court, former county workers said they agreed dating back to 1966 to lower pay raises and, in some cases, no raises at all in exchange for the benefit. All but two of the 17 plaintiffs are retired and have living spouses. The remaining two are surviving spouses of county workers: Muriel C. Hamann, widow of Laurier Hamann, and David F. Goodwin, widower of Florence A. Goodwin, both of Lewiston. Hamann worked for the county for 43 years; Goodwin, 22 years.

The plaintiffs include a retired sheriff, judge, commissioners and emergency management director.

Commissioners said last spring the benefit had never really existed. They reviewed and interpreted the county's benefit package anew, then informed retirees and their surviving spouses. Local attorney Bryan Dench, who represents the county, advised commissioners that the county's health care provision was never meant to extend to spouses following the death of county retirees.

Commissioner Randy Greenwood on Monday referred inquiries about the lawsuit to Dench, who could not be reached at his local office for comment. The county has not yet filed a formal response to the suit. Greenwood said he expected the legal action would be reviewed at the commissioners' next meeting Wednesday.

The suit alleges the county breached its contract with former county workers because it stopped providing the negotiated benefit for the two surviving spouses and would not provide that benefit in the future for the other 15 spouses of retirees. The county should pay damages, including attorney's fees, the suit says.

Plaintiffs also allege violation of their constitutional rights, including 5th and 14th amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which protect against depriving citizens of property without due process and compensation. The suit seeks to have the court restore the benefit and reimburse plaintiffs for their costs that should have been covered under the benefit.

The suit also seeks to have the court stop the county from refusing to provide the benefit to retirees' surviving spouses.