WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — A former solid waste supervisor in Hartford who claimed his boss accused him of trying to buy marijuana at work and then unfairly fired him has settled with the town for $9,000, according to court documents.

In an order last week, U.S. District Court Judge Kevin Doyle agreed to dismiss the lawsuit filed last year by former town employee Bob Vahey against Hartford after the parties reached an agreement out of court. The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice, meaning Vahey cannot file another lawsuit with the same complaints against the town in the future.

In the settlement agreement, town officials agreed to pay Vahey $9,000 in damages within two weeks of the judge’s order. As part of the agreement, Vahey is barred from making public disparaging statements about the town.

Calls to Vahey and his attorney were not returned this week. Brian Monaghan, an attorney representing Hartford declined to comment on the settlement.

The settlement agreement is the result of a yearlong lawsuit that Vahey, 68, brought against the town in June 2020, accusing Hartford officials of unjustly firing him while he was on medical leave, and violating his right to due process during a post-termination hearing.

The issue stemmed from tensions between Vahey, who was the supervisor of the solid waste facility since 2004, and Hannah Tyler, who was hired as director of public works for the town in 2018, according to the complaint. Vahey was critical of Tyler’s hiring, claiming she did not have the right experience, and brought his concerns to then-Town Manager Brannon Godfrey and a Selectboard member, the complaint said.

After he came forward with his concerns, Vahey said Tyler and another public works employee told members of the Public Works Department not to bring work issues to Selectboard members or the town manager without approval, the complaint alleged. Nancy Corsones, an attorney representing Vahey, argued in the lawsuit that the order was a violation of Vahey’s free speech.

The issues came to a head in August 2019, when Vahey took pre-approved time off of work for a medical issue. Six days after his medical leave began, Vahey claimed Tyler sent him a pre-termination letter detailing his alleged inappropriate behavior at work. In the letter, Tyler claimed Vahey tried to buy marijuana using his work computer, accepted untested compost and allowed a shooting range to be set up on the property, the lawsuit said.

After his firing, the town held a post-termination hearing, but Corsones argued the hearing was unfair because it was overseen by Godfrey, who had a conflict of interest in the case.

Monaghan responded to Vahey’s lawsuit in September, denying that his firing was unjust, and saying it was a result of “his own conduct.” He also argued that the decision to fire Vahey was unrelated to his medical leave.

Anna Merriman can be reached at amerriman@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.