Stoughton Settles Lawsuit With Ex-Town Manager

STOUGHTON, MA — Selectmen voted unanimously to settle former Town Manager Michael Hartman's wrongful termination lawsuit against the town. Stoughton will pay Hartman $125,000 to settle the suit he filed in July 2017 after his contract wasn't renewed.

Stoughton has a $60,000 legal insurance policy, leaving the town on the hook for $65,000, the Brockton Enterprise reported. The settlement protects the town from legal damages of up to $2.5 million, legal counsel Richard Van Nostrand, told the board earlier this month.

“It’s come down to a business decision from my perspective,”Selectman Richard Hill told the Enterprise..."Our job was to address this lawsuit.”

Hartman was removed from his position after a 3-2 vote on July 1, 2017 to not renew his contract. Former selectmen David Sousa, Robert Cohn, and Peter Brown cited allegations of micromanagement and a failure to fire a town official with criminal charges as reasons to remove Hartman as town manager. Selectmen Bob O'Regan argued because of language in the town charter, removing Hartman without at least four votes opened the town up to a lawsuit.

A majority of residents agreed, as all three selectmen who voted not to renew Hartman's contract were voted out of office in a recall election six months later.

Hartman filed a lawsuit in July, but his case was initially dismissed in May 2018 by a Norfolk Superior Court Judge. Hartman appealed the decision, which brought the case to settlements, which were overseen by a retired appellate court justice.

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• Selectmen Chairman Defends Decision To Appoint Interim Town Manager
• WATCH: Selectmen Replace Hartman As Town Manager During Heated Meeting
• Hartman Files Lawsuit Against Town, Selectmen