A Middlesex Superior Court judge has dismissed two of former Concord CFO Anthony Ansaldi's four claims against Town Manager Kerry Lafleur.

Judge Julie Green ruled Sept. 1 that Ansaldi's civil rights count and his intentional infliction of emotional distress count both fail as a matter of law, The Concord Bridge reported. But Green stopped short of a full victory for the town. She allowed Ansaldi to proceed on a claim that Lafleur intentionally interfered with his business relationships.

A fourth count, alleging the town violated whistleblower protections after Ansaldi reported financial mismanagement, was never part of the defense's motion to dismiss. It also moves toward trial.

Ansaldi's lead attorney, Tim Burke, called the whistleblower charge "the heart of the case." In a prior court filing, Burke estimated Ansaldi had lost $75,000 in wages as of mid-December 2025, plus $750,000 in reasonably anticipated future wages and $500,000 for emotional distress. Ansaldi is seeking triple damages under state law.

On its current track, the case might not reach trial until 2028.

Why two claims failed

Green found no constitutional basis for Ansaldi's civil rights claim. Threatening to fire an at-will employee does not violate the state Civil Rights Act, she wrote, because there is "no constitutional right to work in the at-will employment context." She also ruled that Lafleur's alleged actions did not meet the legal threshold required for an emotional distress claim.

Background

Ansaldi began working for Concord in 2023. He alleges he discovered financial problems dating back to Lafleur's tenure as the town's CFO, including Social Security payments he considered unwarranted for non-pensionable employees. After he raised concerns, Ansaldi claims, the town retaliated.

He was placed on leave in summer 2025, filed a whistleblower notice in July 2025, and was formally fired in September 2025. He sued in December 2025.

The town's defense attorney, Brian Fleming, has argued Ansaldi was fired over job performance, not retaliation. At a July 8 hearing in Woburn, Fleming told Judge Green that a neutral party attended an employment hearing and determined Ansaldi would be terminated because he was not performing his job to the town's standards.

Lafleur told The Concord Bridge in July that the town disputes the allegations and would respond through the legal process.

Since the firing

State records show Ansaldi formed an LLC called Ansaldi Financial Services in December 2025, shortly before filing his lawsuit. He was advertising bookkeeping and tax preparation services as of the Bridge's Sept. 14 report. Burke said Ansaldi is still seeking permanent employment.

An anonymous Select Board member wrote in a comment on Lafleur's recent performance review that the dismissal process was challenging and raised concerns but that things have stabilized with a new CFO in place.

As of late June, the town had paid about half of its $10,000 insurance deductible for legal costs in the case. Insurance covers costs beyond that amount.

No trial date has been set.