Former Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge was illegally fired and will challenge the city in federal court, her attorney said.
Stephen Imm, attorney at Finney Law Firm, said he and his team will contest City Manager Sheryl Long’s decision before an impartial arbiter (a neutral third party). He added that attorneys also plan to file a second lawsuit against the city, Mayor Aftab Pureval and Long, alleging violations of Theetge’s constitutional rights. This comes after Theetge was told of her dismissal, Thursday.
“I am announcing today we will be fighting this outrageous action on at least two fronts,” Imm said during a Friday news conference at Finney Law Firm, located at 365 Main St. in Cincinnati. “You cannot begin to imagine how hard and how painful the last six months have been for (her) to be treated in the manner that she has been treated.”
Imm said his firm is also considering a third lawsuit against Pureval, alleging the mayor improperly disclosed that Theetge sought $7.5 million to resign.
According to Imm, the figure was discussed during a confidential mediation. He said Pureval committed a crime by releasing that information during a Thursday press conference following the announcement of Theetge’s termination.
“That is not only a breach of contract. That’s a criminal act,” Imm said. “We’re considering a third lawsuit based on the fact that the mayor and others within the city have blatantly breached confidentiality for cynical political purposes to try to save their image.”
Imm said the lawsuits will be filed “as soon as possible, maybe next week.”
Theetge, who attended the news conference, did not speak to reporters. Imm said she learned of her termination via email.
“She didn’t get to where she is by being a wilting flower, and she knew this was coming,” Imm said. “She has a very supportive family, and that helped, but I know it was extraordinarily painful after everything she did and for how long she did it.”
Imm highlighted Theetge’s tenure with the Cincinnati Police Department.
“Over her 35 years of employment, (she) compiled one of the most distinguished careers in the history of the Cincinnati Police Department,” he said.
He added that the relationship between city administration and the police chief deteriorated in October 2025 after several high-profile crimes drew national attention. Imm noted it was an election year for the mayor.
Imm said Theetge’s firing was politically motivated and that she was made a scapegoat.
“He told Sheryl Long to get rid of Terri Theetge,” Imm said.
He said Theetge is seeking reinstatement and aims to restore her reputation.
“She will be ordered back to work if this matter isn’t otherwise resolved when it comes before an impartial decision-maker willing to listen to the evidence,” Imm said.
Theetge had been on administrative leave since October 2025 following questions about her leadership amid public scrutiny of a fatal stabbing in June and a downtown brawl in July. As additional major crimes occurred, Theetge was called back to Cincinnati from a conference in Denver “to address departmental matters,” according to a statement from Long.
After a months-long investigation by an outside law firm hired by the city, officials determined her leadership was insufficient.
Theetge was the first woman to serve as police chief in Cincinnati. She was sworn in as the department’s 16th chief on Jan. 9, 2023.
Ultimately, Imm said, the city should pay for the pain and suffering his client has endured over the past six months.
“If they’re going to insist on kicking her to the curb, ruining her reputation, labeling her service to this city as a failure and making her take the fall for their own mistakes and failings,” Imm said, “then yes, they are going to have to pay for those disgraceful acts.”
Interim Chief Adam Hennie remains in command of the Cincinnati Police Department. The city will provide an update on permanent leadership in the coming weeks.