Former Police Chief Gary Ford is suing the governments of Oxford for $40,532, which he claims he’s owed based on his 1997-1999 employment contract, but was never paid.
The lawsuit, filed Jan. 16 in Oakland County Circuit Court, named Oxford Township and Village and the Oxford Public Fire and EMS Commission (OPFEC) as the defendants.
The suit claimed that despite “demands for payment,” the defendants “refused” to pay Ford monies he’s entitled to based on his now-expired employment contract with the former Oxford Emergency Safety Authority, the predecessor to OPFEC.
Those monies include:
n $28,715 in severance pay (the equivalent of 26 weeks)
n $4,094 in longevity payments
n $4,639 in unused vacation and holiday pay
n $207 in compensatory time
n $877 in personal leave time
n $2,000 in clothing and discretionary allowance.
Ford’s lawsuit also claimed that his expired employment agreement provided for binding arbitration to settle these disputed issues, with William Hampton serving as arbitrator or Robert Webster as contingent arbitrator.
However, both men have “refused to sit as arbitrator due to conflicts of interest,” the suit stated.
The suit claimed the defendants “refused to waive arbitration” and were subsequently asked to agree to arbitration with the American Arbitration Association.
But the defendants “failed to respond” to the request which Ford “deems. . .as a refusal to arbitrate,” the suit stated.
Because of the defendants’ actions, the suit claimed the contract’s arbitration provision “should be deemed to be inapplicable” and Ford allowed to proceed with litigation.
When asked to comment on the suit Monday, OPFEC attorney Steve Gross said he could not because he hadn’t yet received or reviewed it.
In the Oct. 16, 2002 issue of the Leader, Gross said Ford was not entitled to the $28,715 (26 weeks) in severance pay because he was not terminated by the safety authority.
Ford’s employment contract clearly stated, “if the employee is terminated by action of the Oxford Emergency Safety Authority, the employee shall receive twenty-six weeks pay.”
Ford’s attorney Ronald Zajac claimed the ex-chief “was terminated effective Jan. 1, 2000, per resolution of the Commission of Oct. 15, 1999 and per letter from the Commission Chairperson dated Oct. 20, 1999.
However, the letter and resolution Zajac referred to simply informed Ford that his contract would not be renewed after it expired on Dec. 31, 1999, they did not terminate his employment with Oxford, Gross said.
Concerning the $11,817 in contract perks, Gross said in the Oct. 16, 2002 article that the ex-chief “might be owed” some of these monies.
OPFEC Chairman Bill Dunn called Ford’s lawsuit “frivolous.”
“I don’t think he’s owed a penny,” he said.