LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A lawsuit by a former Louisville Metro Police detective who sued the department for firing him after he allegedly threatened to kill other officers has been dismissed.
LMPD fired Christopher Palombi March 2022 after he "made statements that you were going to bring guns to the Homicide Unit and kill people," including members of the command staff, according to the chief at the time, Erika Shields. Palombi was never charged.
Attorney Thomas Clay filed a lawsuit in June 2022 claiming Palombi had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after serving time as a combat medic in a U.S. Army infantry platoon in Afghanistan. When Palombi left the military, he enrolled in and graduated from the LMPD training academy.
The lawsuit claims PTSD is a recognized disability and requested Palombi be reinstated to LMPD and awarded damages for lost income, embarrassment, humiliation and mental anguish.
The lawsuit was inactive in Jefferson Court since June 2023 until being dismissed by Jefferson Circuit Court Judge Tracy Davis on June 26 of this year for lack of prosecution.
Clay said he has not talked with Palombi in years.
Palombi was a patrol officer who eventually became a LMPD homicide detective, responsible for investigating violent crimes against a wide range of victims.
He claimed his mental health deteriorated after being assigned to security duty during the 2020 social justice demonstrations in Louisville connected to the death of Breonna Taylor.
The lawsuit claimed the demonstrations had the "potential to lead to violence against law enforcement," and Palombi claims he was subjected to gunfire on four separate occasions.
Palombi said he started experiencing PTSD and went to the Veterans Administration for treatment. He said he told a supervisor about the condition, which deteriorated in June 2021. That's when LMPD became concerned about his performance in the homicide unit.
After meeting with supervisors on Jan. 5, 2022, Palombi was transferred to patrol for "mental health reasons," which he considered a "demotion." On Jan. 13, Palombi claimed his mental condition further deteriorated and told a supervisor he was "not doing well mentally." That's when Palombi allegedly made threats to other members of the homicide unit and a member of the command staff.
Palombi flew to California for a 30-day treatment program, which LMPD helped pay for. But the lawsuit claimed when Palombi returned from California, he was met by law enforcement and served pre-termination paperwork. He was fired on March 2, 2022.
Palombi told WDRB News he reached out to his supervisors for help.
"And when I asked for help, it wasn't well received," he said.
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