Ten Westmoreland County deputy sheriffs have appealed a federal judge’s decision to toss out a lawsuit claiming they were harassed and improperly investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police.
The lawsuit, filed last year, alleged members of the sheriff’s office fugitive apprehension unit were targeted by frivolous accusations of impropriety by a former high school rival who later served as a lead investigator for the state police in Greensburg.
In late January, U.S. District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan dismissed all six federal counts in the lawsuit, ruling the deputies did not have sufficient claims under federal law. Three additional counts involving potential violations of Pennsylvania law also were dismissed but could be refiled in state court, the judge said.
The deputies filed their appeal of that decision last week.
Robert Marion Jr., the attorney representing the deputies, did not return a call seeking comment Monday.
The deputies who initiated the suit are Irvin Shipley, John Dixon, Brian Matthews, Robby Orbin, Ryan Walker, Brandon Stephenson, Jacob Shaffer, Tyler Shuey, Cole Bier and MacLean Walton.
The lawsuit claimed the deputies were targeted by Trooper Jeffrey Schaeffer. According to the lawsuit, Schaeffer said the deputies launched frivolous investigations into unfounded allegations of impropriety.
One incident cited in the lawsuit involved a 2022 operation in Uniontown to serve warrants. Another involved a 2024 shooting and subsequent chase through Mt. Pleasant borough and township where deputies assisted local police.
According to court filings, state police investigators, sheriff’s office personnel and the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office probed the deputies’ conduct and concluded there was no wrongdoing. The deputies contended they were placed on administrative duties, lost pay and sustained reputational damage as a result of the investigations.
The lawsuit claimed Shipley and Schaeffer were high school rivals and that lingering animosity stemmed from a fight while both were students in the mid-1990s.