The Town of Peterborough has reached a settlement with Jeffrey King, the former recreation director who sued the town for wrongful dismissal in 2019.
According to the settlement, dated August of this year, King will receive up to $20,000 from the town in health insurance considerations. In exchange, the suit was dropped.
“The purpose of this Release is to ‘buy peace’ from further dispute and controversy between and among [King] and [the town],” the agreement reads.
King sued the town following his firing in 2019, alleging that the town disliked him because of his connection to the local Boy Scout troop, and that then-Assistant Town Administrator Nicole MacStay, now the town administrator, had developed “animus and bias” toward him because of this issue.
The town has previously stated that they investigated King due to complaints from the public about his behavior, and that MacStay found “prurient” photographs on his computer. King has denied that the photographs were inappropriate and said that they were taken as part of his duties in overseeing the town pool, with parental permission for posting on town social media accounts.
The suit was initially dismissed by the Hillsborough County Superior Court, a decision that King appealed. Prior to the settlement, the case was moving toward a trial next year.
The settlement document states that it is not to be “construed, considered, or understood as an admission of liability, wrongdoing, or culpability on the part of [the town],” and that it is simply a “compromise of disputed claims.”
“The town is satisfied with the settlement and is glad to be moving forward,” MacStay said of the settlement.
Neither King nor his attorney, Joseph McKittrick, could be reached for comment.