Opinion ID: 203386
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Durette

Text: When Dichio arrived, Durette was the Assistant Chief Deputy for the District of Massachusetts. The two appear to have had a strained relationship. Durette attributes at least part of this strain to his refusal to commit himself to comply with Dichio's request that he support Dichio in responding to DeCaire's initial EEO complaint. On February 5, 2003, Dichio went into Durette's office to question him about whether Durette had spoken to DeCaire about her January 23 EEO complaint. Durette told Dichio that he had a brief conversation with DeCaire the previous afternoon. Durette testified that Dichio then told him that if you're asked questions about this I expect that you'll support the Marshal. Durette testified that he responded that he would answer truthfully if he were asked questions under oath. Dichio testified that on February 5, the same day as his conversation with Durette, he contacted headquarters to request a new acting chief to replace Durette; he said he could not trust Durette because Durette never communicated with him. He stated that he had also made a request for a replacement for Durette at some point prior to February 5. Headquarters sent Dimmitt as an acting chief on February 17 for a term of 120 days. Around the beginning of March, Bohn spoke with Durette about concerns he had with Darlene DeCaire's performance on the HIDTA task force. Durette testified that he discussed Bohn's concerns with Dimmitt, who said that he would bring them to Dichio's attention. Around this time, Durette was removed from the chain of command and assigned to special projects. Durette testified that around March 19, plaintiff DeCaire informed him of the alleged conversation between Dichio and Joseph Cummings, in which Dichio supposedly said that DeCaire would not be advancing in the Marshals Service so long as he was in charge. Durette subsequently mentioned the alleged Dichio-Cummings conversation to Dimmitt. [9] Thereafter, at Dichio's direction, Dimmitt removed Durette from his office and placed him in a cubicle in the administrative section of the office. By April 21, 2003, Durette left the Marshals Service.