Appeals Court judge upholds award against city of Holyoke

Posted: March 23, 2004

(Springfield-AP) -- A federal Appeals Court judge has upheld a jury award in a former police sergeant's whistleblower lawsuit against the city of Holyoke.

Gary Bennett claimed he was harassed, denied promotions and forced to retire after he took his suspicions about corruption in the late 1990s to the state attorney general and local news outlets.

With interest Bennett could collect more than $250,000.

Current Holyoke Mayor Michael Sullivan calls the decision ``bad news,'' but says the city has taken steps to avoid such costly lawsuits in the future.