Attorneys for Center Township and a former township employee presented arguments about the township’s motion to dismiss the former employee’s wrongful termination and whistleblower lawsuit.

Judge S. Michael Yeager did not rule in the case, heard Wednesday, Sept. 14, in Butler County Common Pleas Court. He said he will consider the arguments.

The lawsuit revolves around the township’s termination of Patrick Gauselmann as zoning officer in November 2020 following a disagreement over a building permit sought by a business. He began working for the township part time in 2017 and was made full time in January 2019. He also worked as the township’s public works director.

Arguing for summary judgment against the wrongful termination claim, Sheryl Brown, the attorney representing the township, said Gauselmann was an at-will employee, and the township supervisors have the right to fire such employees as long as the termination is not discriminatory.

She cited another civil case in which a judge ruled that supervisors in a different municipality who terminated a zoning officer because they weren’t happy with his job performance did not violate public policy.

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