Legal Brief -- Cronin v. Town of Amesbury
Cronin v. Town of Amesbury, 895 F. Supp 375 (D. Mass 1995)
Type of Action
The action was an appeal on the part of Michael Cronin to the United States District Court in Massachusetts. It was an appeal on the grounds that a hearing into the determining of his job status took well over three years and that violated his due process rights. The court had to decide if the delay was a violation of his due process rights or if the investigation was "above-board."
Facts of the Case
Michael Cronin was a police chief in Amesbury. At some point, a pornographic letter was found in Cronin's desk and it was signed "Mike." When brought to the attention of the higher-ups, Cronin was suspended with pay pending a further investigation. However, this revelation did nto appear until three years after the letter was found and copies were made. The suspension was matched with three charges being brought against Cronin by Town Manager Joseph Faye. Faye was fired not long thereafter and was replaced with Donna Stewart. Stewart posted a total of nine charges against him and there was a hearing for all of the charges. Of those, Cronin was found guilty of two and was issued a 90 day suspension. The letter itself was deemed to be irrelevant to his duties and so it was basically disregarded. Cronin appealed the decision to the Civil Service Commission thereafter. Prior to that hearing taking place, Cronin was demoted...
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