VERO BEACH — A lawsuit filed by a longtime city police lieutenant has been dismissed with prejudice in favor of the city.
Lt. Daniel Cook, a 37-year veteran within the city police department, failed to provide evidence showing he was retaliated against after raising concerns about a hostile work environment, wrote Circuit Court Judge Cynthia Cox in the June 3 court order dismissing the lawsuit.
A lawsuit dismissed with prejudice means a case is a final and permanent judgment. It can be appealed, but it cannot be refiled.
Cook filed the lawsuit in November 2024, saying he faced retaliation after raising concerns about a hostile work environment and other conduct inside the department. He sought more than $75,000 in damages.
Cook said he was punished for speaking up about misconduct, management issues and treatment of coworkers. But Cox said there was no evidence to prove it.
In his lawsuit, for example, Cook said he unfairly received a “needs improvement” in the area of dependability in his 2024 performance evaluation. Cox said the evidence showed Cook had failed to follow through on his goal of providing a recruitment plan.
“No disciplinary measures or “adverse” personnel actions were taken against Cook; this was simply his annual performance evaluation,” Cox said in her decision.
Similarly, a written reprimand and one-shift suspension were personnel actions taken because of Cook’s conduct — the suspension for circulating materials that included his personnel evaluation and a memo from a department employee and the reprimand for accusing the deputy chief of lying during his performance evaluation — the judge concluded.
Cook presented no evidence the deputy chief had any ill will against him that would motivate any retaliatory conduct or that he was acting as a “stalking horse” for Police Chief David Currey, the judge wrote.
The city, for its part, denied any wrongdoing, asking for a summary judgment.
Cook has 30 days to appeal the decision. The City Council plans to discuss the decision at its June 9 meeting.
Colleen Wixon is the Indian River County government watchdog reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Judge rules on police whistleblower lawsuit against Florida city
Reporting by Colleen Wixon, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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By Colleen Wixon, Treasure Coast Newspapers | USA TODAY Network
