A federal court has dismissed the lawsuit filed by Wayne Police Sgt. Abraham Hughes against the city, City Manager Lisa Nocerini, Mayor John Rhaesa and Personnel Director Alyse Leslie.
Hughes' lawsuit claimed that Nocerini unfairly interfered in the agreed-upon testing and evaluation procedure in naming a new police chief in 2018. He claimed in his filing that he had video evidence confirming that he obtained the highest score on testing performed by EMCO, the outside company employed by the city. He also asserted that both he and the other candidate for the job, current Chief Ryan Strong, were assured by Nocerini and EMCO officials that the promotion would be based on those independent test scores. He claimed in his filings that despite his higher test score, Nocerini exerted undue influence on EMCO officials to ensure that Strong was promoted.