Trial begins for retired Maine trooper who claims retaliation

PORTLAND, Maine (WMTW) - A federal trial is underway in Portland as a retired Maine State Trooper sues for financial damages after claiming he faced whistleblower retaliation.

George Loder of Scarborough says he tried to transfer to another detective position but was denied after he raised concerns about what he believed was illegal activity at the Maine Information and Analysis Center (MIAC) in Augusta.

That complaint was filed in 2020.

The state has denied any wrongdoing and says his transfer was denied for legitimate reasons.

Loder was assigned to the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force in Portland from 2013 to 2018 and worked with federal agents to investigate terrorism and national security cases.

A judge has since thrown out all but two of Loder’s claims.

The jury will decide whether his First Amendment rights were violated and if he was subject to professional retaliation.

The case will not focus on or determine if his claims about what happened at MIAC were true.

The court has set aside five days for the jury trial in the civil case. The trial began Monday morning.