WARREN — The former Liberty schools superintendent — accused of bugging a school district office — has been named as a co-defendant with the Liberty Local School District Board of Education in a civil lawsuit brought by seven people who claim their privacy was affected by secret recordings.

Joseph Nohra, 49, of Topper Hill Drive, Hubbard, is named in a lawsuit filed in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court. In a related criminal case, Nohra is expected to appear July 29 in Judge Ronald J. Rice’s court for a pretrial hearing on six felony and five misdemeanor charges connected to an investigation by the state auditor’s and Trumbull County Prosecutor’s offices.

Named as plaintiffs in the civil action are former or current school district employees Christine Gallaugher of Hubbard, Rick Svetlak of Poland, Dale Fuller of Girard, Karen Copenhaver of Hubbard and Leslie Diana of Youngstown and two others, Gallaugher’s husband David and close friend Francine Delbene of McDonald.

The plantiffs, who claim invasion of privacy and infliction of emotional distrsess, together are seeking more than $595,000 in damages.

The lawsuit was filed by plantiffs’ attorneys Matthew Blair and Thomas Wilson. It states Christine Gallaugher had retired May 31, 2018, from her position as district maintenance and transportation secretary through a written agreement with the district. That action followed an investigation of Gallaugher initiated by Nohra and approved by the school board.

The lawsuit alleges Nohra and the board conducted surveillance of Gallaugher’s workspace without her knowledge via audio and videotape between April 9 through 23, 2018.

Svetlak was the day-turn custodian at Liberty High School and was vice president of the Liberty Association of School Employees. The suit alleges Svetlak and Gallaugher on several occasions during April 9 to 23, 2018, had job-related conversation at her desk about other jobs in the district after she found out Nohra wanted her replaced. The conversations also included possible defense strategies for Gallaugher’s discipline hearing and other personal concerns and other union issues, the filing states.

Fuller, another school district custodian, was another union representative who discussed job strategy and other union issues with Gallaugher at her desk during the times of the alleged bugging, the lawsuit states.

Copenhaver and Diana, current bus drivers with the district, also claimed to have conversations with Gallaugher during the time of the desk surveillance about multiple issues, including health, family matters and other personal concerns regarding Nohra.

Meanwhile, Delbene and David Gallaugher routinely visited Christine Gallaugher at her desk and discussed personal matters, as well as family / marital issues during the time of the allegations. The suit noted that Gallaugher’s husband is disabled and heavily reliant upon his wife for private medical needs.

The suit alleges that Nohra’s investigation into Christine Gallaugher escalated into a decision to covertly install above her desk an audio and video surveillance camera disguised as a carbon monoxide detection device which transmitted — in real time as well as uploaded recordings — conversations taking place in that area of the office.

Investigators from the Ohio Auditor’s Office uncovered the purchase of the surveillance equipment as well as the audio and video recording. The revelation turned into a criminal investigation conducted by Trumbull County Sheriff detectives.

Nohra, who resigned as superintendent in June 2020, is charged with six counts of interception of wire, oral or electronic communications and five counts of interfering with civil rights.

In addition to damages in the civil suit, Christine Gallaugher is seeking the reinstatement of her job with the school district as well as back pay.

Rice, who also is slated to hear the civil action, released Nohra on a personal bond.

Attempts to reach Nohra’s attorney, David Betras, and Liberty school board President David Malone on Friday afternoon were unsuccessful.