Former Guernsey Police Chief Wins Lawsuit, $300K Settlement Reached

A federal jury has awarded Guernsey’s former police chief more than $300,000 in her lawsuit alleging that her reports of misconduct within the town’s government resulted in her firing.

However, a federal judge in July ordered the town and former Police Chief Terri Van Dam to mediate a settlement of the lawsuit and all related issues, resulting in a settlement that was reached in mid-August.

Van Dam worked as a police officer for Guernsey for five years, the last year as its chief of police. She sued the town in April 2020 after being fired the previous January.

In her complaint, Van Dam said she had started an investigation on her own time in 2018 into allegations of misconduct involving town officials and employees. She alleged that she was fired in January of 2020 after sharing the results of her investigation with the state Division of Criminal Investigation and Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Read more: https://cowboystatedaily.com/2021/09/13/former-guernsey-police-chief-wins-lawsuit-300k-settlement-reached/