Quincy Golf Club Ex-Prez Sues City Over Bathroom Ban Blowup

Scott Roberts, the former president of Furnace Brook Golf Club, is taking the City of Quincy to court after being banned from the municipal course over two bathroom incidents he insists were medical mishaps, not misconduct. The 68-year-old is asking Norfolk Superior Court for more than $250,000 in damages and wants his longtime membership restored. Roberts says the trouble traces back to a kidney-cancer diagnosis, a transplant and medications that make bowel control difficult, while city officials dispute both the timing and his explanation of what happened.

Roberts' complaint names club pro Tom Ellis, custodian Kevin Flaraty and David Murphy, the city's commissioner of natural resources, and accuses them of defamation and discrimination, according to The Boston Globe. The filing asks the court to award damages and reinstate Roberts' membership at Furnace Brook, where he has been a member since the 1970s. The suit claims the fallout from the incidents caused him severe emotional distress and damaged his reputation in the community.

What the complaint says

The lawsuit details two episodes in the men's restroom and includes a copy of the city's no-trespass letter, which states that "you were observed spreading feces in the Men’s Room at the golf club." The complaint says Roberts immediately tried to clean up both areas and that staff and other members later repeated stories that he had intentionally defecated on the floor. The suit alleges those accounts were made "with either knowledge of, or in reckless disregard of their falsity" and that they have seriously harmed his standing, according to The Boston Globe.

Course ownership and city role

Furnace Brook shifted from private control to city operation in 2022 after a long-term lease ended, and the Department of Natural Resources has run the nine-hole course since then. The changeover and early improvement plans were reported by WBZ NewsRadio. Roberts' suit puts the city squarely in the middle of the dispute because the no-trespass order that banned him was signed by the department's commissioner. The city has not yet filed a public response to the complaint.

Legal angle

Roberts' attorneys frame the case as a mix of disability discrimination and defamation, with key questions tied to his medical history and to what officials and staff said to other members about the bathroom incidents. In Massachusetts, disability discrimination claims can be brought through the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination or directly in court, and defamation requires a false statement communicated to a third party with some level of fault or reckless disregard for the truth, according to Mass.gov and legal practice guides.

Roberts is asking the court to give him his membership back and award monetary damages. The case will move forward in Norfolk Superior Court, where the city's formal answer and early motions will set the pace. For now, it is not clear if either side will push for a quick settlement or dig in for a longer legal fight.