Police Officer Who Sued Over Alleged Ticket Quota System Settles for $280,000

A former Novi police officer who sued for wrongful termination after he complained the police department required him and other officers to meet a mandatory ticket quota has settled with the department for $280,000.

Michael Corbett of Farmington Hills told The Oakland Press his failure to abide by the quota forced him into early retirement and a dispute over his pension.

“Overall, I’m happy with the whole situation,” he said. “I think the point was made. It was beneficial to bring everyone in and depose everyobdy and get the issue out there.”

A panel of three attorneys proposed the $280,000 settlement and all parties agreed to avoid a trial. Corbett will also receive his pension as part of the deal.

Officials with the Novi Police Department declined to comment and instead directed questions to the department’s attorney, Tom McGraw, who did not return phone calls seeking comment by The Oakland Press.

One of Corbett’s attorneys said the plaintiff’s discovery process, which included multiple depositions by Novi officers, revealed evidence that the department did have a quota system, which is illegal

“The law is very clear,” Deborah Gordon said. “You cannot require a police officer to issue a predetermined number of citations.”

Gordon claims officers were required to write four traffic citations a day, and were eventually required to make one commercial vehicle stop and arrest each day.

“It’s a mantra over there,” she said.

The newspaper said that Novi Police Chief David Molloy defended the system in his deposition. When asked why he cared about revenue data, he reportedly said, “Because I run a $17 million business, and it’s important to me.”