PHILADELPHIA - A Parkesburg man brought civil charges against the Borough of Parkesburg and many current and former city officials in federal court alleging First and Fourteenth Amendment violations.
The complaint was filed by plaintiff Joseph M. Rzonca on April 16 in the Eastern Pennsylvania District.
Rzonca was openly critical and skeptical of the local borough government, believing several Parkesburg officials to be corrupt and misusing taxpayer money. For several years Rzonca demanded investigations into the officials and submitted open records requests.
The plaintiff accuses the city of retaliating against his scrutiny by finding reasons to cite him for his property and charging him improper fees for maintenance of a property he had foreclosed on.
The defendants allegedly filed a complaint in the court against the plaintiff seeking $2,000 in fines per day against him for violations at the foreclosed home despite it being foreclosed and Rzonca having no more responsibility to the home, in retaliation to Rzonca's demands for answers to why a city official was driving an official car outside of jurisdiction.
The entire list of defendants includes: Borough of Parkesburg, Mayor John P. Hagan II, former council president Kathleen M. Rick, former council member Melinda Keen, former borough manager L. James Thomas, former borough secretary Wendy Keegan, former building inspector John P. Coldiron and borough solicitor John S. Carnes.
Rzonca accuses the defendants of retaliation, violation of equal protection of the law through class of one and selective enforcement, violation of right to procedural due process in property interest, violation of right to substantive due process, violation of Excessive Fines Clause, civil conspiracy to violate constitutional rights, wrongful use of civil proceedings and abuse of process.
Rzonca seeks at least $1.95 million from Parkesburg and the rest of the defendants. He is represented by Jeffrey P. Hoyle of Media.