Coginchaug High School football coach Anthony DeFilio has withdrawn a lawsuit against former Regional School District (RSD) 13 Board of Education (BOE) chair Lindsay Dahlheimer, whom he alleges submitted false reports of abuse to school officials and the Department of Children and Families (DCF) in an attempt to get him fired.
According to Rep. Craig Fishbein, who represented DeFilio in the lawsuit, the case was withdrawn out of concern that RSD 13 would bear the costs of defending Dahlheimer.
DeFilio’s original complaint in the lawsuit alleges DeFilio reported to the Coginchaug High School principal that he was verbally abusive and had physically assaulted players on the football team in an attempt to get him fired. The lawsuit also claims Dahlheimer made reports of similar allegations to DCF and had her husband corroborate the complaints.
DCF and the high school investigated the claims and cleared DeFilio of wrongdoing and he has retained his job.
DeFilio was seeking $15,000 in damages.
However, whether the town’s insurance would cover the cost of Dahlheimer’s defense has been uncertain. During a July 16, 2025, meeting presided over by Dahlheimer, the Durham Board of Education (BOE) entered executive session and voted to indemnify her in relation to the lawsuit.
Dahlheimer’s actions at that meeting and an August 13, 2025, meeting, where Dahlheimer attended an executive session that discussed whether to investigate her behaviors, were the subject of a Durham Ethics Commission investigation. At both meetings, Dahlheimer abstained from the votes involving her behavior but ultimately did not recuse herself. The ethics commission issued a report in February of this year that Dahlheimer’s behavior at those meetings amounted to four violations of the town’s ethics code.
One of the commission’s recommendations was for the BOE to rehold the vote on indemnifying Dahlheimer. But in two recent meetings, the BOE has debated whether this is necessary. At a February 25 BOE meeting, RSD 13 superintendent Dr. Sydney Leggett stated that rescinding the vote would not affect indemnification or whether the town’s insurance policy covers costs associated with the lawsuit because those protections are written into law. Leggett added that if a board member was found to have acted with malice, indemnification would not apply, and insurance would not cover the costs of the lawsuit.
At a March 11 meeting, the BOE voted in favor of a resolution recognizing that its July 16, 2025 to indemnify Dahlheimer had no legal effect and was rescinded.
“It was never my client’s intent to cost the school district anything to have to defend against the Dahlheimers’ personal bad acts, and it shouldn’t have. Ms. Dahlheimer’s underhanded actions, which have already been found to be illegal by the Durham Ethics Commission, ended up in a place where the school district continued to be on the hook, although never the intention. My client’s withdrawal of the case was merely to save the school district from the continued cost of litigation. Had we continued on, we are confident the result would have been success—however at a cost to the district. In the end, mercy prevailed.” Fishbein told Inside Investigator.
Dahlheimer described the lawsuit as “nothing more than a calculated effort to inflict pain upon my family” and its withdrawal as “abrupt” following a court order to proceed with discovery. DeFilio had sought to extend the requirement to respond to Dahlheimer’s discovery requests until May, citing “lengthy and broad requests.” A judge extended that period until April 21, but later revised the date to April 13. A scheduling order was filed on April 10.
“Following a court order compelling Mr. DeFilio to finally provide discovery, he has abruptly and voluntarily withdrawn the suit against me which I have attached to this statement.” Dahlheimer added in a statement emailed to reporters. For the last year, my family and I have endured immense harm and unfounded vitriol. Due to my responsibilities at the time as Chair of the Board of Education and a parent, I was unable to publicly defend myself against these baseless accusations without violating confidentiality. As a consequence of this lawsuit being filed on top of the unfounded vitriol, I had to step back as Chair while I finished my term, not seek re-election, and my family including my two children have lived under the continued threat of losing our home, a goal Mr. DeFilio aggressively pursued in this suit.
Access to documents related to the town’s insurance company’s coverage in relation to the lawsuit is the subject of a Freedom of Information Commission (FOIC) complaint, filed by a Durham resident who alleges Leggett is withholding reports and correspondence between the town and the insurance company.
DeFilio also filed an FOIC complaint against Dahlheimer and Robert Moore, then the BOE co-chair, alleging the July 16 executive session violated the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
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