One of the chief architects of the Rochester Police Accountability Board is suing the city and agency, alleging she was wrongfully terminated.
Rosabel Antonetti’s lawsuit alleges “consistent harassment, bullying, and even workplace violence” during her time at the PAB. The claims align with a failed staff push to unionize and continued despite a vow by City Council in late 2022, to fix what it labeled a “dysfunctional agency.”
The agency, formed in 2020, had an initial charge of investigating misconduct within the Rochester Police Department and doling out discipline. But the courts have since stripped the agency of those powers. Antonetti was hired in June 2021 as its chief of administration, as the PAB staffed up under inaugural executive director Conor Dwyer Reynolds in June 2021. Her role included much of the formation of the agency, including building relationships with other city departments and interviewing and onboarding staff. But discord within the agency emerged quickly as it struggled to find its way.
Antonetti claims, in a complaint filed Tuesday in New York state Supreme Court, that the work environment worsened after Reynolds was placed on administrative leave due to a slew of misconduct allegations. He was later fired. Reynolds also later filed a complaint alleging sexual harassment from the former board chairwoman, and retaliation made against him.
Six months passed between Reynolds being placed on leave and his 2022 termination, which was approved by the board by a 5-1 vote.
A report from attorneys who investigated Reynolds’ conduct found he “engaged in inappropriate behaviors related to the handling of confidential documents and exercised poor judgment with respect to staff relations, personnel practices, and other critical functions of his position.”
That backdrop served as the start of Antonetti’s alleged issues at the agency that ultimately ended with claims of unlawful termination while on medical leave, and without a fair hearing.
Messages left with the city were not immediately returned.
“The history that informs the allegations herein is a long one, fraught with toxicity, violations of the law, and a calculated plan to terminate (Antonetti), the final vehicle of which being a sham hearing on trumped up disciplinary charges,” the complaint begins.
During Reynolds’ leave, Antonetti claimed, she suffered from depression, anxiety, and insomnia due to her treatment by staff. Her employee, Deborah Campbell, supported that position in an affidavit provided with the complaint, writing that Antonetti “endured hostility from core staff members.”
“During staff meetings, I observed firsthand the overt disrespect and accusatory tone aimed at (her) by some employees,” Campbell continued, explaining that Antonetti "was unjustly labeled as being anti-union, a liar and even faced workplace violence in the form of verbal abuse. This further isolated her and compounded her anxiety.”
Antonetti also alleged she was “accosted” outside the PAB’s office by staff of the agency.
She went on medical leave beginning Dec. 2.
On Jan. 7, she received notice she had been suspended, according to the lawsuit. The disciplinary document alleged she had used her work computer to send emails while she was on leave. It also contained four other allegations, including insubordination, failure to pay agency bills, and unprofessional conduct, specifically for referring to the workplace as “toxic” in meetings at City Hall. The letter alleged those statements were later shared among staff.
Antonetti had her hearing on March 26 before a city department head. She did not have legal representation and allegedly was denied requests to reschedule the hearing to better prepare, which the complaint alleges were violations of civil service law. Antonetti claimed she was mocked during the hearing, and that she was accused of things, like financial misconduct, though she says she didn’t have the access to the agency checkbook.
Antonetti’s sister, Madelyn Peralta, was present at the hearing and provided a statement accompanying the complaint.
“I observed a hearing that was conducted in a dismissive and rushed manner, with Petitioner's objections and requests ignored,” the letter reads.
Ultimately, PAB Executive Director Lesli Myers-Small upheld all the allegations and Antonetti was fired on April 22.
She is seeking a reversal of the decision, reinstatement and compensation for emotional damage.
