Sgt. Fahey’s Connecticut Lawsuit: Federal Case Awaits Criminal Trials

The federal civil rights lawsuit involving former Connecticut State Police Sergeant Bryan Fahey is on hold. On October 3, 2025, U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea administratively closed Reyes v. Lavoie, pausing the case while parallel state criminal prosecutions against both Fahey and the plaintiff, YouTuber SeanPaul Reyes, move through Connecticut courts. The closure is not a dismissal, and either side can move to reopen the federal matter once the criminal cases resolve.¹ This is the current status of the Sgt. Fahey Connecticut lawsuit as of early 2026.

Where the Federal Case Stands

Reyes filed the lawsuit on July 9, 2024, under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, docketed as No. 3:24-cv-01174. The original defendants were Bryan J. Fahey, Charles Lavoie, and Connecticut State Trooper Matthew Costello. Reyes voluntarily dropped his claims against Costello, who was terminated as a defendant on June 16, 2025. Fahey and Lavoie remain.¹

The defendants moved to dismiss on September 16, 2024. On September 29, 2025, Judge Shea granted that motion in part and denied it in part, allowing some claims to proceed while dismissing others. The docket entry does not identify which specific claims survived or whether the ruling addressed qualified immunity; that analysis sits in the sealed order.¹

Four days later, the judge administratively closed the case. Administrative closure is a docket-management step, not a merits ruling. The surviving claims are still alive; they are simply paused until the criminal proceedings that overlap factually with the civil case are done.¹

Reyes is represented by Alexander T. Taubes of Taubes Law in New Haven and by Blake Turley.¹

The Criminal Cases Holding It Up

Fahey’s Case

After an investigation by the Groton Police Department and the Windham State’s Attorney’s Office, Fahey was arrested on August 29, 2025, and charged with one count of disorderly conduct. He turned himself in and was released on a promise to appear for arraignment at Danielson Superior Court on September 3, 2025.² The available record does not indicate a resolution.

Reyes’s Case

Groton police originally charged Reyes with first-degree criminal trespass, second-degree breach of peace, and voyeurism with malice, a felony. On September 16, 2025, Judge Ernest Green in Danielson Superior Court dismissed the voyeurism charge outright. The state’s attorney had sought a nolle, which would have deferred prosecution for 13 months before dismissal, but Reyes’s attorney, Stephan E. Seeger, argued for immediate dismissal and the judge agreed.³

By December 2025, the remaining charges against Reyes had been reduced to a single count of third-degree criminal trespass, a class C misdemeanor. He remained free on a $75,000 bond and said he intended to take the case to trial.⁴ Reyes’s cameraman, Tahiem Glover, is also facing a single count of third-degree criminal trespass as of December 2025.⁵

How the Case Got Here

The lawsuit grew out of a July 11, 2025 confrontation at Fahey’s Groton home. Reyes and Glover arrived with an electronic billboard truck displaying footage from a prior encounter, part of what Reyes called a “Corruptigate” campaign accusing Fahey of excessive overtime pay in a desk-sergeant role.⁶

Fahey told the men to leave, went inside, and returned holding a handgun. He said he armed himself because he feared for his life and claimed Reyes had previously threatened to kill him online.⁷ Fahey then chest-shoved Reyes down the driveway and spat in his face, moments captured on video that went viral.⁸ Groton police arrested Reyes and Glover at the scene and did not initially charge Fahey, telling Reyes that Connecticut assault law requires the infliction of physical pain.

The Connecticut State Police opened an internal affairs investigation the same week. On July 24, 2025, the agency sustained a charge of “conduct unbecoming” against Fahey, defined as any conduct that would reflect negatively on the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection. Fahey was placed on unpaid administrative leave and given an unpaid suspension as discipline.⁹ He had submitted his notice of intent to retire back in May 2025, before the confrontation, and his retirement took effect August 1, 2025. During the investigation, Fahey acknowledged that he had spat in Reyes’s face but said he did not remember doing it.⁶

The state police released the full internal affairs report on August 7, 2025, under the state’s Freedom of Information Act, describing transparency as a “cornerstone of public trust.” The internal investigation focused on the confrontation. There is no indication in the released report that the overtime fraud allegations Reyes raised were investigated as a separate matter.⁶

What Happens Next

Nothing further will move on the federal docket unless one of the parties asks the court to reopen it. That request typically follows the end of the criminal proceedings that prompted the closure. With Reyes headed toward trial on his misdemeanor trespass charge and Fahey’s disorderly conduct case unresolved on the available record, the timing of any reopening depends on how quickly the state cases conclude. When the case does return to Judge Shea, it will pick up with the claims that survived the September 29, 2025 ruling on the motion to dismiss, against Fahey and Lavoie.¹

1
CourtListener. Reyes v. Lavoie
2
Hartford Courant. Former CT State Trooper Charged in Connection With Incident With YouTuber
3
CT Insider. SeanPaul Reyes Brian Fahey Groton YouTube Police
4
Yahoo News. Charges Reduced for YouTuber Who Confronted CT State Trooper
5
CT Post. Groton SeanPaul Reyes Charges Reduced Bryan Fahey
6
WFSB. Internal Affairs Investigation Released After Viral YouTube Video Shows Confrontation With State Police Sergeant
7
Daily Voice. YouTuber Who Filmed Viral Confrontation With Armed CT State Trooper Pleads Not Guilty to Felony
8
CT Insider. Bryan Fahey SeanPaul Reyes CT Police YouTube
9
Hartford Courant. Ex-CT State Police Sergeant Suspended as Result of Internal Investigation After Dispute With YouTuber