Town Board Accused of Defaming

Joseph Sinagra is suing for defamation and is confident he has a credible case.

A former police chief decided to sue three people on a town board in Pennsylvania for defamation, asking the court for $2.5 million.

Town Supervisor Fred Costello, councilmen Zach Horton and Mike Ivino are named in the lawsuit. 

The backstory: The police chief, Joseph Sinagra, retired after a July 7, 2023 report by New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ Law Enforcement Misconduct Investigative Office (LEMIO), which addressed complaints against police officer Dion Johnson, including allegations of harassment and sexual assault.

Town board members then decided to put Sinagra on administrative leave over the summer of 2023, reports Crispin Kott at Hudson Valley One.

Sinagra was surprised, hurt and responded that he had not committed any wrongdoing. According to the lawsuit, Sinagra wants the requested amount and an award of damages at trial commensurate with loss of income, legal expenses and damage to his reputation, Kott writes.

“Supervisor Costello’s and town board (members’) statements to the public falsely demonstrate that (Sinagra) has been engaging in behavior incompatible with the proper ethical or professional conduct of his business trade,” reads the filing.

“Additionally, these false, defamatory and untruthful public statements have adversely affected the claimant’s business and ability to obtain/retain employment opportunities and have adversely affected his professional career.”

Late last year, Sinagra told Hudson Valley One that “he was let go from his position as a law enforcement liaison for the governor’s traffic safety committee a month earlier without justifiable cause due to ‘media interest’ after being assigned to the role by NYSACOP, Kott reports.

“It’s all rumor, but my understanding was that somebody from Saugerties actually went and spoke to the governor and put the kibosh on my job up there,” Sinagra said in December. “Well, that’s wrong. Again, that is to defame me and my reputation…If they weren’t out to get me, then why did I lose my job with GTSD after being there for a whole month when they knew about all of this?”

Sinagra’s attorney is Stephen G. DeNigris of Albany-based DeNigris Law Firm, PLLC.

Costello shakes his head at the petition.

“I strongly disagree with what’s outlined as the merits of the claim, but as it’s a court system, we’re going to go through that and we’ll figure it out,” he said.

Costello sounds confident. Maybe he has good reason to be. Or maybe he’s overconfident.

The question is why did Sinagra get hired and then lose his job so quickly? Was there a good reason, unrelated to the town board? Was it simply the research and the state A.G.’s report?

Or did someone on the board contact his employer and communicate something that wasn’t factual, accurate and true?

I would suspect Sinagra would not have been able to hire his attorney, Stephen G. DeNigris, if DeNigris didn’t feel there was a fairly legitimate chance to win the case. Defamation is not simple to prove. In fact, it can be extremely difficult.

Is appearance reality?

Is what happened to Sinagras: Losing his job and that financial opportunity a sign of defamation, assault on his reputation and worthy of legal redress?

Does correlation imply causation?

Maybe not. Yet maybe so.

Where do the most helpful, influential or persuasive facts and evidence lie?

Which attorney can and will communicate the most effectively and successfully in presenting a case, securing a settlement or going to trial?

What specifically can Sinagra and his attorney prove and what claims can they expertly disprove?

As for the board members, what can they and their attorneys credibly disprove?

It’s going to be an interesting case to follow to see if it can be shown that Sinagra was defamed or that his job loss and financial suffering was unfortunate but certainly didn’t meet the legal requirements for it to be judged defamation.

From a reputation, not legal, perspective, Sinagra can respond in a matter that is consistent with communication detailing all the facts that can be researched and proven to state his case, in the media, online and with future business prospects.

This doesn’t have to solely be a legal push. Go for that, of course, if he feels it is best but also attack the problem from a communications angle as well to reveal your trustworthiness and credibility.

Michael Toebe can help you respond best to smear campaigns. He is the founder of Reputation Intelligence - Reputation Quality and a specialist for helping individuals and organizations through complex, challenging, dangerous experiences involving reputation and protecting them along the way. Contact him at 316-226-4071, reputation.intelligence.rq@gmail.com or through the form below.