Shelby Township, Former Police Chief Agree to Settle Lawsuit

The lawsuit between Shelby Township and its former police chief has reportedly been settled, although neither side is releasing the details at this time, The Macomb Daily reports.

Robert Leman served as Shelby Township’s police chief for a decade before the board of trustees voted in September 2011 to allow his three-year contract to expire.

Documents previously shared with Shelby-Utica Patch suggest that board members were dissatisfied with Leman's job performance, but the former chief maintains argued he was fired for investigating complaints against township officials.

In September 2009, Leman launched an investigation into a criminal complaint allegedly involving then-Treasurer Paul Viar. The complaint alleged Viar made a threatening phone call to a planning commissioner to influence a rezoning vote. According to the lawsuit, the chief’s performance was called into question after that 2009 incident.

Later that month, Leman launched a separate investigation that alleged Supervisor Rick Stathakis accepted an inappropriate monetary gift.

Both investigations were turned over to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office, but no charges were filed in either case.

Leman filed his wrongful-discharge lawsuit in November 2011, and both sides agreed to settle the lawsuit this January, according to Macomb County Circuit Court records. The size of the financial settlement is unknown at this time.

A Freedom of Information Act request for these details submitted by The Macomb Daily earlier this month was denied. A second request has been delayed, according to the newspaper.