Former Bridgeport employee files lawsuit alleging discrimination defamation
A former Bridgeport city employee has filed a lawsuit against the city and both current and former city officials on grounds of sex-based discrimination, harassment and defamation.
by: Joey Rather
Posted: Jun 30, 2025 / 09:42 PM EDT
Updated: Jun 30, 2025 / 11:08 PM EDT
In the lawsuit filed Monday in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of West Virginia, former Director of Engineering and Public Utilities Beth Fox accuses former City Manager Patrick Ford of discriminatory and defamatory treatment during her time with the city.
Beth Fox Fox claimed that while she was on approved leave time between January and March 2025, under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Ford began to significantly alter Fox’s job description, duties and position of authority. On top of this, court documents allege Ford also removed all but one of Fox’s employees, placing them under his control and asking that they keep their transfers confidential.
Court documents state Fox returned to work in late January to discuss the changes to her position, where she was informed that Ford would assume control of the utility department, essentially eliminating her role in it.
Though not outright stated, the suit implies that Fox’s leave was based on medical issues and an ongoing disability she suffered from. The specifics of the disability were not provided, but the suit states that on Feb. 3, Fox informed the city she would be resigning from her position based on “intolerable disability discrimination while on FMLA leave,” as well as sex-based discrimination.
Following Fox’s announcement that she would be resigning, the suit claims that either Ford or Police Chief Mark Rogers contacted Attorney William Ihlenfeld, who was in the midst of an employment change from a U.S. attorney to an employee with the Flannery Georgalis, LLC law firm. It’s worth noting that the City of Bridgeport has an attorney, Dean Ramsey, who has worked with the city for about 45 years, the suit claims.
The suit states that Ford and Rogers have had working relationships with Ihlenfeld for at least five years and hired him with city council approval. Further, it alleges that Ford and Rogers took this action with the intention to “control the narrative” surrounding Fox’s resignation by engaging Ihlenfeld and his firm in an internal investigation into the city of Bridgeport meant to “target” Fox.
During the investigation, the suit claims that Ford began making comments to city employees and other third parties claiming that Fox was under “federal investigation for felonious crimes.” The suit adds that uniformed Bridgeport Police officers were directed to Fox’s office to box and collect files in full view of city staff.
The suit claims that Ihlenfeld and other employees in his firm regularly referred to Fox as the “primary target” of the internal investigation. It also claims that Ford illegally disclosed details about Fox’s disability and the investigation to the public.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Fired Bridgeport city manager files civil suit against city
Police Chief Mark Rogers
Leon Mark Rogers has been the police chief of Bridgeport since July 2022 and frequently attended meetings and worked on city projects with Fox, according to the suit. In May 2023, the suit said Fox and Rogers had a “consensual intimate encounter while attending a municipal event out of state.” It adds that after the encounter, Fox told Rogers “on multiple occasions” that she was not interested in maintaining an intimate relationship, but that he still continued to pursue her inside and outside the workplace.
In August 2023, the city named Rogers as interim city manager, leading Fox to explain to Rogers that his pursuit of her was inappropriate, especially now that he was her supervisor, the suit states. This explanation did little to dissuade Rogers, who in one instance became hostile and stormed out of Fox’s office upon rejection, according to the lawsuit.
In December 2023, the city announced it would be accepting applications for a full-time city manager. Court documents said Fox was encouraged by her coworkers to apply for the position, which she did.
In March 2024, court documents explain that Rogers renewed his pursuit of Fox at a municipal event, where she turned down an offer to join him in his hotel room “after hours.” Following that event, the suit said Rogers began to “verbally attack” Fox in the workplace, as well as berate other employees who befriended her.
In October 2024, Rogers told Fox that he had informed the Bridgeport City Council about how he did not want her considered for the city manager position, according to the lawsuit. Ford was hired as city manager later that month, and Rogers returned to his position as police chief.
Rogers spent the next few months working closely with Ford in his new role with the city, according to the lawsuit, which also claims that Fox requested Rogers’ time working with Ford be limited to prevent discrimination against her, but Rogers continued anyway. In December 2024, the suit claims that Ford told Fox that Rogers had spoken “very poorly of her to him and cast her in a negative light.”
New Bridgeport city leadership sworn in, calls for transparency
The City of Bridgeport itself
Among other allegations, the suit accuses the City of Bridgeport of vicarious liability, arguing the city and council members should have been aware of the actions of Patrick Ford and Mark Rogers.
Fox is also accusing the city of breaching its fiduciary duty by failing to keep Fox’s employment information and discrimination claims confidential. The suit claims that hiring Ford was an act of negligence, saying that he was “untrained, unqualified, and had no experience as a manager or assistant manager in either City or County government.”
The suit adds that retaining Ford and Rogers despite their discriminatory actions toward other employees was an act of negligence given that the Bridgeport City Council “should have known” about their actions.
Fox is seeking a jury trial in this case, which comes amid another lawsuit from former City Manager Patrick Ford alleging wrongful termination.
You can read the full lawsuit below:
1Download 12 News has reached out to the City of Bridgeport seeking information from it and Police Chief Mark Rogers. We’ve also reached out to Patrick Ford’s attorney for a comment on his behalf,as well as Flannery | Georgalis, LLC.
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