MENOMINEE — Steve Sobay, a former operations supervisor of 27 years who was fired by the Menominee School Board last May, is suing the Menominee Area Public Schools.
The lawsuit claims that Sobay was wrongfully terminated and cites a breach of contract, according to his attorney, Gerald Pirkola, from Mouw & Celello out of Iron Mountain.
Sobay was reached and had no comment. MAPS responded with this statement from Wes Hoffman, local general counsel to the school.
“The Menominee Area Public Schools is acutely aware that it’s been sued in 41st Circuit Court by former employee Steve Sobay,” Hoffman said. “We believe Mr. Sobay’s allegations, as contained in the lawsuit, are without merit. MAPS is confident that after an aggressive defense is tendered on its behalf, the court will agree that Mr. Sobay’s termination was just and proper.”
The contract expired almost a year earlier than when he was fired, according to the complaint. He “continued to work under his customary duties past the expiration of the contract on June 20, 2022. Defendant continued to employ Plaintiff and acted in accordance with the contract terms.”
The civil lawsuit says that the plaintiff, Sobay, continued to rely on the contract, which said that he could only be terminated for good cause.
The complaint said Menominee Area Public Schools violated the contract when Sobay was fired on May 16.
The filing claims that Sobay has been placed in financial hardship, suffering loss of wages and benefits, earning capacity, ability to work, and other benefits he would have received had he continued to be employed, and will suffer these losses in the future. He is suing for at least $25,000. The civil lawsuit would include a jury trial.
Sobay was fired at a special board meeting held at 6 a.m. on May 12 at the KK Integrated Logistics community room on 1st Street.
Board members voted 5-1 to terminate Sobay. Board member Cindy Jones voted no, while Cindy Woods, Becky Thoune, Nicole Myszak, Jocelyn Rankinen and Dawn Wesolowski voted yes.
School Board President Derek Butler abstained from voting because he was a witness during the hearing and said he “felt like a victim.”
The firing centered around misconduct from Sobay.
Butler said Sobay approached him in a vehicle off school grounds on two separate accounts and said “f--- you” through the windshield.
Rich Sarau, former superintendent of MAPS, said he received an angry phone call from Sobay. Sobay said he texted Sarau the word “Coward” after Sarau hung up the phone, but he didn’t know if all that Sarau said at the meeting was true — that Sobay screamed at him.
Sobay said he never received warnings for his anything he had done. Before the meeting, he said he wasn’t contacted for four months. He had been put on paid administrative leave in December 2022. The 6 a.m. meeting last May had 18-20 community members in attendance - most to support Sobay.
While Sobay was fired on a misconduct charge, he was not held responsible for the first charge brought forth by the council, which was misconduct associated with the capping of walls containing asbestos contamination.
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