Mayor Maturo, East Haven Back in Court; Now Over Car Accident

EAST HAVEN, CT - East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr. and the town are back in court again: this time over a car accident the mayor was involved in driving a town-owned vehicle early in 2018.

The mayor and the town - who just recently settled a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a former town employee - are now being sued in Superior Court by Michael Schuler, who is seeking more than $15,000 for injuries he said he incurred when his vehicle was struck by Maturo's in January of this year.

In a letter to the court clerk filed by Schuler's lawyer on May 18th of this year, it said Schuler sustained "injuries to his head, neck, left wrist, chest, and back. He sustained a lost of consciousness at the scene of the accident and endured headaches."

Schuler, in his court complaint, said that on January 3rd of this year he was operating a car on Main Street Annex through the intersection of Huntington Avenue in East Haven when Maturo was "negligently operating his motor vehicle."

Schuler said he tried to avoid Maturo but he "struck the right passenger side of the defendant's vehicle."

East Haven's Town Attorney Joe Zullo tells a different story than Schuler about what happened.

"The Town routinely defends lawsuits brought each year against Town employees relating to motor vehicle accidents ranging in severity from 'fender benders' to serious collisions," Zullo said.

"Given the number of Town vehicles on the roads each day, and despite the utmost of care exercised by our employees on the roads, it is inevitable that they will occasionally be involved in motor vehicle incidents. In this case, as with the majority of cases, the Town's vehicle was shortly returned to service," Zullo added.

"In this particular case, while the plaintiff claims the Mayor to be liable, the police report cites the Plaintiff's excessive speed as a contributing factor to the accident," Zullo said. "This fact is conveniently and unsurprisingly omitted from the Plaintiff's complaint. As with all claims, and especially in light of the plaintiff's contributing negligence, our legal team will vigorously contest and defend this suit for the benefit of the taxpayers and the Town of East Haven."

Schuler said in his complaint that the accident forced his vehicle to strike a utility pole.

Schuler said the accident caused the following injuries: cervical sprain, lumbar sprain, left wrist sprain, contusion of chest wall, physical pain and suffering, emotional pain and suffering.

In his lawsuit, Schuler said his injuries "was the proximate result of the defendant (Joseph Maturo) negligence and carelessness in one or more of the following respects:

-- he drove his motor vehicle at a greater rate of speed than warranted;

-- that he was inattentive;

-- that he failed to have vehicle under proper and reasonable control;

-- that vehicle had defective or failed to use brakes;

-- that he failed to slow down;

-- that he failed to bring his vehicle to a stop.

As a result of the accident, Schuler said he "has incurred and may incur in the future, expenses for ambulance costs, hospital costs, medical treatment, medicines, x-rays, diagnostic tests and physical therapy, all to his loss and damage."

He added that the accident has caused his "overall quality of life to be greatly diminished."

The lawsuit is seeking payment from Maturo and the town of East Haven "in demand of greater than $15,000, exclusive of interests and costs."

The suit is currently being heard in Superior Court in New Haven.

Just recently Maturo and his lawyers negotiated a $175,000 settlement with a former town employee who said the mayor had sexually harassed her over a period of years.

That settlement sparked anger amongst many taxpayers - some of whom started an online petition asking the nine-term mayor to resign, stating Maturo, and not the taxpayers should foot the bill.

Photo by Jack Kramer