BETHEL – A federal court in Portland recently ordered fired Bethel Police Chief Darren Tripp to reimburse more than $6,000 in court costs to Bethel and its town manager, Scott Cole.
In a Dec. 16 order, U.S. District Court Clerk William S. Brownell stated that Tripp would be taxed $6,176.84, which stems from the former chief’s $500,000 lawsuit and subsequent appeal.
He lost both cases.
Cole said Tuesday afternoon that neither he nor the town would see any of the money, which does not include legal fees.
Instead, when collected, it would go to the town’s insurer, the Maine Municipal Association Risk Pool, which hired lawyer Anne M. Carney of Norman, Hanson and DeTroy LLC of Portland, to defend the town and Cole.
“The MMA said from day one that they wanted court costs because they felt that the lawsuit was frivolous,” Cole said.
Through a series of lawsuits and appeals in state and federal courts against Bethel officials and Cole, Tripp tried to regain his job of six years after Cole fired him on Feb. 12, 2004.
Tripp initially sought $250,000 when he filed suit in 2003 in the U.S. District Court through his lawyer, Thomas Carey of Rumford.
The suit challenged Tripp’s 33-day paid suspension in March 2003 for alleged “serious” job deficiencies, poor judgment, lack of ethics and lack of respect for the law.
A year later, it was amended to $500,000 after Cole fired Tripp, who sought the extra money for emotional distress, alleged damage to Tripp’s reputation, and loss of wages and attorney fees.
But, on Oct. 13, 2004, Chief U.S. District Court Justice George Z. Singal affirmed U.S. Magistrate Justice Margaret J. Kravchuk’s recommendation to dismiss the $500,000 suit and for summary judgment.
Carey appealed that decision to the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, which decided this fall to affirm Singal’s decision.
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