BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. — A Harrison County circuit judge has ruled the lawsuit filed against the City of Bridgeport by former Bridgeport City Manager Pat Ford can move forward.
The ruling by Circuit Judge Joseph Shaffer denies an effort by the city to dismiss the case and move it to arbitration.
Shaffer ruled the claims made by Ford should be heard in an open proceeding, not behind closed doors in an executive session.
A March 2025 Bridgeport City Council agenda included an item to consider removing Ford from the position. Ford blamed the move on evidence he uncovered when asked to investigate and improve the work culture in the city.
The lawsuit claims the city is attempting to keep the details of that investigation from the public.
City leaders blamed the firing on financial mismanagement. Ford was authorized to spend $25,000 on the investigation, and the cost ballooned to more than $70,000.
Soon after his termination, the state police announced its own investigation into then-Mayor Andy Lang involving a verbal altercation with another city employee in March 2025.
Ford also claimed city leaders pressured him to facilitate a purchase by the city of property owned by Lang. He said he offered him $150,000 to resign on several occasions in an effort to keep the investigation details from going public but ultimately terminated him.
Current mayor and former Harrison County Sheriff Robert Matheny attempted to release the details of the investigation, but the measure failed to pass city council by a vote of 4-3.
The City of Bridgeport has not yet commented on Shaffer’s ruling.