Before he was fired last month, Naples Fire Chief Steve McInerny argued that several members of the City Council defamed him and denied him his legal rights, according to a Feb. 9 letter sent by his lawyer.
The lawyer, Robert Bates, sent the letter to Naples City Attorney Bob Pritt indicating McInerny wanted to settle his disputes with the city five weeks before McInerny was fired on March 15.
The letter claims City Council members Doug Finlay, Linda Penniman, Sam Saad and former mayor John Sorey were part of a "conspiracy" against McInerny. Some council members, including Finlay and Saad, have publicly criticized McInerny.
In the Feb. 9 letter, McInerny claims defamation, invasion of privacy and the intentional infliction of emotional distress, among a list of complaints. The letter was sent as an investigation commissioned in October by the city into McInerny's conduct seemed to be nearing completion, but McInerny was fired before the investigation was finished.
Vicki Sproat, the lawyer hired by the city to investigate McInerny, said Tuesday the city shut down the investigation before she could finish her work. In a brief phone interview, Sproat, hired from the Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt law firm in Fort Myers, said the investigation was "not concluded." She declined to talk specifics.