Tim Ryan, tryan@wolfrivermedia.com
A jury trial in a former deputy’s civil suit against Shawano County Sheriff Adam Bieber is still scheduled to start on Monday, but a recent court hearing hinted at a possible settlement in the wind that could avoid that.
According to the minutes of a June 9 final pre-trial conference in federal court, a settlement offer had been made but had not yet been accepted.
It’s not clear whether there has been any progress on a settlement since then, and court records do not indicate any update since the June 9 hearing.
Wade Wudtke maintains he was targeted by Bieber and several members of the Shawano County Board over his support for then-incumbent Sheriff Randy Wright in the 2014 election.
The suit specifically named Bieber and five county supervisors who were serving at the time on the county’s administrative and insurance committee: Jerry Erdmann, Deb Noffke, Bonnie Olson, Gene Hoppe and William Switalla.
The suit maintained the committee conducted an investigation targeting Wudtke for political retaliation as a result of a confrontation between Wudtke and Bieber at a Republican Party picnic.
The committee determined there were no disciplinary actions necessary and closed the matter.
Last month, U.S. District Court Judge William Griesbach dismissed all but one of the claims filed by Wudtke and ruled the five county supervisors named in the suit are no longer defendants.
The court ruled that the committee was within its rights to investigate the matter.
The one count against Bieber that remains alleges petty harassment.
Griesbach opened the June 9 hearing by asking whether there was any chance of a settlement in the matter.
Wudtke’s attorney, Mary Kennelly, told the court that they had made an offer but had not received a response.
A federal court clerk on Tuesday said the court has not received any notice of a settlement and the jury trial remains on the docket starting Monday.
The trial is expected to last three days.
The suit seeks damages for both past and future wage and benefit loss; compensatory damages for emotional distress, loss of reputation and loss of earning capacity; punitive damages against the individual defendants; and legal fees and court costs. There is no dollar amount specified.
Wudtke had been a deputy sheriff for Shawano County since 1999. He was hired as a patrol officer and became school resource officer in July 2006. He became a detective in December 2007.
Wudtke resigned in March 2015, about two months after Bieber took office.