RAYMOND – Former Raymond Selectman Dana Desjardins will appeal a recent Portland District Court ruling that dismissed his complaint against Town Manager Don Willard and Selectman Mike Reynolds in its entirety.
In an August 2013 complaint filed with Cumberland County Superior Court, Desjardins’ attorney, John Campbell, accused Willard and Reynolds of defamation of character, negligent infliction of emotional distress, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and invasion of privacy, among other claims. Desjardins is seeking undisclosed damages.
The lawsuit was the result of nearly a year of what Desjardins called “harassment” by Willard and Reynolds, beginning with an incident on Jan. 8, 2012, when a Cumberland County sheriff’s deputy pulled over Desjardins on his way to a selectmen’s meeting for speeding 5 mph over the limit. Desjardins argued that Willard and Reynolds used a December 2011 selectmen’s meeting – and the allegation that he had attended drunk – as a false pretext to ask the sheriff’s deputy to pull him over.
On June 20, District Court Judge Nancy Torreson ordered the complaint to be dismissed “in its entirety.”
Desjardins will appeal the ruling to the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston. If Desjardins wins at the federal appellate court, according to Campbell, the case will return to District Court in Portland. Desjardins is seeking a jury trial, Campbell said.
Willard and Reynolds declined to comment.
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