The former sewage treatment plant superintendent for Cobleskill has prevailed in his lawsuit against the village. A decision issued today by the State of New York Supreme Court found that the village of Cobleskill as in violation of Civil Service Law when they failed to reinstate Christian Pahls to his prior position once he was terminated from the superintendent position.

The decision orders the village to reinstate Pahls to his former position of assistant operator and award him back pay for restitution of lost wages and retirement benefits for the period of time he was displaced from employment.

The lawsuit, Pahls v. Village of Cobleskill, arose from Pahls’ termination as the village’s sewage treatment plant superintendent in November 2008. Pahls was promoted to the superintendent position in 2007 and terminated just under a year later in relation to misconstrued comments regarding the denial of his request for a performance evaluation.