ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - A roll of the dice brings the new St. Louis City Sheriff a lawsuit from a former deputy.
Former Deputy Tony Kirchner is suing Sheriff Alfred Montgomery for defamation over statements made by Montgomery on X, formerly known as Twitter and the neighborhood app Next Door.
Kirchner's attorney said in a statement says Montgomery is trying to defame his client by lying about his emotional state when Kirchner was asking for leave.
An audio recording of a conversation between Kirchner and Montgomery appears to show Sheriff Montgomery forcing Kirchner to roll dice to keep his job.
Montgomery can be heard granting Kirchner his leave, only to later fire him.
Last week, Kirchner alleged that Montgomery threw down a golden dice and rolling it to get more time off. Kirchner was on bereavement leave and was applying for additional time.
"And that when (Montgomery) broke out and said 'all the big dogs roll this,'" Krichner alleges. "I refused and then he says 'I'll tell you what. I'll give you two chances.'"
"We kind of went back and forth and it was kind of a pressure cooker, going back and forth. I was feeling very intimidated. It came down to me picking up the dice and rolling. Got a six on the first one and a seven on the second one."
However, Kircher later found out that Montgomery fired him after his wife picked up medicine and was informed there was no longer insurance.
Kirchner, who is running against Alderwoman Anne Schweitzer in the First Ward, was fired after being accused of campaigning while on the job.
Montgomery said in a statement that he was using a "trick dice" while firing Kirchner, calling it "de-escalation tactic."
Initially, Montgomery denied the dice incident but now he is defending it. He says it was to ease tension during a firey termination meeting.
Kirchner's Attorney says they also plan to file additional causes of action against Montgomery.