UPDATE: The hearing over this matter scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 7th was postponed. The specific date for the rescheduled hearing has not been released yet.
A hearing related to an ongoing litigation process within the Town of North Judson will be held tonight.
Town Attorney Justin Schramm previously touched on what the hearing will be over.
He explained, “Basically two years ago when we dismissed the officer, we dismissed him because he had, in Kelly’s and I’s opinion, went over the allotted time he’s allowed under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) so we dismissed him.”
Schramm said following that action, the individual’s attorney got involved and appealed the dismissal. It went to court and Judge Kim Hall ruled in favor of Schramm and dismissed the case.
However, then Indiana Court of Appeals weighed in and while they didn’t technically overturn the decision, they did say a hearing should have been held before the individual was formerly dismissed.
Schramm added that the Town Council will act as the defacto safety board since they don’t have an independent one set up. He noted they’re viewed as having no bias in this case is because the council wasn’t involved in the dismissal of the officer.
However, since Schramm has been serving as the representative for the Police Department in this matter for the last two years he said he cannot advise council members during the hearing.
They will be consulting with another attorney who was recommended by Schramm during their final meeting in October. Schramm also noted they had the option to choose another lawyer if they felt that was necessary but they ultimately went with his suggestion.
He recommended that they keep an open mind and consider all evidence presented before coming to any conclusions.
The hearing will occur at 6 p.m. in North Judson Town Hall.
