An FDNY chief among those suing Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh over “mental anguish” caused by department leadership’s alleged poor treatment of command-level staff over their age is himself accused in legal documents of bullying a subordinate.
According to a notice of claim filed by Timothy Walton and his lawyer with the city’s comptroller’s office, Assistant Chief Michael Massucci has repeatedly “harassed” and “intimidated” FDNY Lieutenant Walton.
“This is a classic example of misplaced aggression,” Walton’s lawyer Pete Gleason told the Daily News. “No one deserves to be treated this way.”
The alleged harassment was exemplified in an incident on July 11th when Massucci, who was off-duty, caught up with Walton at his workplace at the FDNY’s Bureau of Health Services, according to the notice of claim.
“Massucci had no reason to enter [Walton’s] workspace, but nonetheless [he] entered and said, ‘You can smile at me,’” the notice of claim states. “When [Walton] ignored Massucci’s comment Massucci then said ‘I know you have a hard on for me.’”
The chief then ordered Walton out of his own office, but he blocked the door, according to Walton’s legal filing.
“Fearing Massucci was attempting to initiate a physical confrontation, [Walton] stayed in the office as far from Massucci as possible in such a cramped space,” the notice of claim said.
The chief’s “hard on” comment “has no place in the FDNY workspace,” the notice of claim says.
Massucci denies the allegations in the notice of claim. His lawyer denounced it as false and said it has no shot of success.
