A Bucks County Common Pleas Judge recently ruled that former Tullytown Chief of Police Michael Martin’s whistleblower claim can move forward in the two-count lawsuit his attorney Scott M. Pollins of Pollins Law filed last February, on his behalf.
Judge Jeffrey Finley issued his decision on August 12 giving Tullytown Borough 20 business days to respond.
Finley wrote:
AND NOW, this 12 day of Aug ,2025, upon consideration of Defendant’s Preliminary Objections to the Amended Complaint, and any response thereto, it is hereby ORDERED and DECREED that:
1. Defendant’s Preliminary Objection in the Nature of a Demurrer to Violation of the Whistleblower Law is OVERRULED; and
2. Defendant’s Preliminary Objection in the Nature of a Demurrer to Public Policy Wrongful Discharge is OVERRULED.
It is FURTHER ORDERED that Defendant shall file an Answer to the Amended Complaint within twenty (20) days of the date of this Order.
“Mr. Martin and I are pleased that the Court has allowed our case to go forward. Whistleblowers are important to the effective operation of government workplaces. Mr. Martin blew the whistle during his tenure as Chief of Police for Tullytown Borough. Instead of seriously considering his complaints, the Borough fired him for not being the ‘yes man’ they thought they hired. Mr. Martin looks forward to having a jury hear his case and decide whether Tullytown’s actions were justified,” said Pollins
Lower Bucks Source was first to break the news about the existence of the lawsuit.
Martin is suing the borough for terminating his employment in retaliation for blowing the whistle about dangerous police understaffing and refusing the borough’s directions to violate the law. Martin brings his legal claims under the Whistleblower Act. Also, he claims wrongful discharge based on public policy, the court filing says.
Credit: Tullytown Borough
“Mike subsequently filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Tullytown Borough. In his lawsuit, Mike states that when he refused to comply with Tullytown’s demands that he engage in conduct he reasonably believed was wrong and unlawful, he faced escalating animosity from Tullytown,” Pollins said in January.
“Michael Martin has worked in law enforcement for decades. In May 2023, Mike became the Chief of Police for Tullytown Borough. Less than six months later, Tullytown fired Mike and gave him no reason for doing so,” Pollins said earlier this year.
From beginning to end Martin’s tenure as Chief was controversial and heated.
Council meetings became a public war of words with locals taking sides and vocalizing their positions.
At one meeting, representatives from the Bucks County Police Chiefs Association showed up as a symbolic show of support for Martin.
Martin was hired in May of 2023 and fired by council days before his probationary period concluded in November of 2023.
Martin, for each count in the lawsuit is asking for at least $50,000.00 in damages and to be reinstated as Chief of Police.
Nate Aldsworth was hired by the borough in February to lead the department replacing Martin.
Officials from Tullytown unavailable for comment when this story went live earlier today.
Tullytown in court papers has said they were within their rights to terminate Martin claiming was he was not entitled to whistleblower status because the allegation was made only in self interest
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