Former Collierville Fire Battalion Chief Bobby Cannon filed a federal lawsuit against the Town of Collierville andformer Town Administrator Molly Mehner, claiming his 2025 termination was due to "retaliation," while also violating his free speech.
Cannon claims in the lawsuit, filed Oct. 13 in U.S. District Court of the Western District of Tennessee, Mehner terminated his employment because of taking personnel matters to the Town mayor, "sowing discord" among Town heads and placing subordinates in an unprofessional position. The reasons are laid out in an Oct. 13, 2025 termination letter addressed to Cannon penned by Mehner.
“Trust, honesty and integrity are foundational values of the Fire Department and Town of Collierville,” Mehner writes in the termination
letter, a document included in the suit. “These reported instances of dishonesty and manipulation demonstrate you are no longer a credible or trustworthy member of the Collierville Fire Department.”
Cannon also voiced that the Collierville Fire Department — headed by Chief John Selbergat the time — did not respond properly to a firefighter's "harassment" complaint, according to the lawsuit.
He also claims the town was in violation of the Employee Political Freedom Act of 1980.
The Town of Collierville could not immediately be reached for comment.
Among Cannon's requests are recompense in compensatory damages, backpay, reinstatement of his former position and punitive damages.
Cannon was hired in 2000 by the Collierville Fire Department as a firefighter and EMT IV, then worked up to battalion chief, leading about 30 firefighters, before being terminated in 2025.
According to the suit, while attending an early-August meeting with town officials about a firefighter's harassment complaint (including the harassment complainant, Mehner, Selberg and Human Resources Director Bill Burke), Cannon asked a question that later led to a reprimand by Selberg.
In the meeting, while the complainant was present, Cannon "asked whether those present believed Selberg could resolve the issues, and the individuals present stated that they did not believe he could," the lawsuit says.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Cannon told Mehner he believed "the CFD had failed its personnel by not addressing ongoing safety concerns," also expressing disappointment that Selberg "attended a chiefs’ meeting andtook a vacation" amid the harassment complaint, the suit said.
Later, on or near Aug. 19, 2025, Selberg issued Cannon a "Statement of Charges," accusing him of "dereliction of duties and insubordination," then later recanted the charges, saying he might have misread Cannon's actions, according to the lawsuit.
Correspondence from Mehner and termination
In the Oct. 13, 2025 termination letter to Cannon, Mehner scolds Cannon for calling a meeting with Collierville Mayor Maureen Fraser about his grievances and for asking for character references from subordinates within the fire department.
"It is highly inappropriate for a superior officer to request letters of support from subordinates and coworkers while under disciplinary review," Mehner writes in the letter.
Mehner also writes, it was "inappropriate for an employee to engage an elected official regarding a personnel matter when that responsibility clearly falls upon the Town Administrator per the Town Charter."
Cannon argues he was not on duty at the time of his conversation with the mayor and the conversation falls under free speech rights, the lawsuit says.
Mehner also accuses Cannon, in the letter, of a "deliberate attempt by you to sow discord" by inaccurately saying Selberg relayed she and Fraser "stated you would never advance within the department." In the letter, Mehner explains Fraser refuted the statement.
The lawsuit also says Cannon told Selberg he felt "psychologically bullied and targeted" by then Assistant Chief Mark Carter (now acting chief), who purportedly said Cannon should be removed or replaced from his post.
On Oct. 13, 2025, Cannon was terminated "unless he submit a resignation by 5 p.m. that day," the termination letter says in the suit.
Lawsuit follows key Town resignations
The lawsuit follows the resignations of Chief Selberg in August and Town Administrator Mehner in September.
Selberg was put on administrative leave Aug. 11 by Mehner for "insubordination" before he announced his resignation on Aug. 21 with severance. Mehner had expressed concerns about his job performance and communication within the department, as well as accused him of inappropriate remarks made toward her at a public meeting.
In a statement amid the controversies and following Selberg's resignation, Fraser said she believes the situation with Selberg could have been "handled far better."
Then on Sept. 18, the town announced Mehner and the town "amicably parted ways," through a media release.
Kerri Bartlett is business editor of The Commercial Appeal.
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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Fired Collierville battalion chief sues town, former administrator
