The Town of Greenwich has reached a settlement in the lawsuit brought forth by former Police Captain Mark Kordick. “The Town of Greenwich was fully prepared to go to trial in the case of Mark Kordick v. Town of Greenwich, et al. However, the Town had no viable option but to comply with the demand of its insurance carrier to end the case,” stated the Greenwich Town Attorney regarding the decision.
Despite the Town’s readiness to contest the lawsuit in court, Allied World, its insurance company, exercised its contractual right to enforce a settlement before the case could proceed further. The Town’s compliance with the insurance carrier’s demand was based on the necessity to maintain its future insurability according to the statement.
The Sentinel learned that according to court records, Kordick’s dismissal from the Greenwich Police Department for conduct unbecoming of a police officer wasn’t an isolated incident but followed a series of disciplinary issues.
In 2015, Mr. Kordick received a one-week suspension without pay and underwent counseling for an undisclosed “personnel” matter.
He was also under an internal investigation for inappropriate use of professional resources to look into a private citizen for political reasons.
In a separate instance, a judge ruled that Kordick could be sued for his conduct after being accused of creating a hostile work environment and harassing a female police captain. According to the court filing, “Captain Kordick became enraged” at the plaintiff. It continues, “He kept banging his hands and cellphone on the table, and he grabbed the bottom of his chair and began to jump up and down while grunting like an animal through gritted teeth and leaning towards plaintiff.” According to the filing, he was later physically intimidating to the plantiff, who the judge ruled, reasonably was concerned for her safety based on her perception of his behavior.
In 2018, Mr. Kordick was again placed on unpaid leave after behaving in a hostile, unprofessional manner at a meeting of the Town of Greenwich Retirement Board.
The town maintains that while free speech is protected, intentionally misleading the public is fraudulent and not protected.
Prior to placing the intentionally misleading signs in 2019, Mr. Kordick had been given more than one written warning that if his unprofessional behavior continued, he would face more severe consequences, including possible termination.
The Town’s statement confirmed that Kordick settled his claim for a fraction of his original demand, although specific amounts were not disclosed.
