Ex-Tenino police chief files defamation lawsuit against city and mayor

Former Tenino Police Chief John Hutchings has filed a defamation lawsuit against the city of Tenino and the mayor who fired him.

The complaint for damages was filed Oct. 22 in Thurston County Superior Court, more than four months after Hutchings’ attorney submitted a tort claim that declared an intention to sue.

According to the complaint, Mayor Bret Brodersen made false and defamatory statements in a news release issued in March regarding his decision to terminate Hutchings’ employment as police chief.

As a result of those statements, “Hutchings has suffered an impairment of his reputation within the community, personal humiliation, mental anguish and suffering,” according to the complaint. “He has further suffered a loss of reputation among the law enforcement community, causing both mental anguish and impairment of future income.”

The complaint also alleges that the news release conveys a sense that Hutchings had “defrauded the city by unilaterally, surreptitiously working hours” that were contrary to his terms of employment.

Hutchings was hired as Tenino’s chief in 2012, but had previously spent 27 years at the Olympia Police Department before retiring. Under his contract with Tenino, Hutchings had to work 159.5 hours or less per month to keep his retirement benefits. He was paid more than the allotted number of hours between June 2012 and December 2013, according to documents.

A trial date will be set Feb. 16 in Thurston County Superior Court. No dollar amount for damages was listed in the official complaint, but the previous tort claim said Hutchings would seek $850,000 in damages.

In the March 2015 news release, Brodersen said Hutchings was terminated for working extra hours, hiring a reserve officer without proper authorization, and generally overstepping his authority. Those extra hours added up to $86,462 in pension payments that the city has since repaid to the state retirement trust fund, Brodersen told The Olympian. He said the city is still considering options for recouping the money.

Brodersen told The Olympian he could not comment on pending litigation, but confirmed the city has received Hutchings’ complaint for damages and is evaluating its options.

This story was originally published October 28, 2015 at 2:09 PM with the headline "Ex-Tenino police chief files defamation lawsuit against city and mayor."