Thomas Schael is seeking damages (reportedly over a million euros) from the Piedmont Region: in August 2025, his term as commissioner of Città della Salute—Turin's huge healthcare agency—was terminated prematurely. Now he's demanding what he claims is owed, with interest. It's a fairly familiar story on the island, involving local health authority managers placed under special administration for a law deemed unconstitutional.
The news regarding the current director general of the regional health department, appointed by Alessandra Todde, is reported in the local editions of the main national newspapers, which reconstruct the difficult relationship between the German manager and Grattacielo (the headquarters of the regional offices).
It was the Brothers of Italy health councilor Federico Riboldi who appointed Schael to lead the healthcare company. And apparently, over time, relations with him had become strained, so much so that the council member, in the columns of La Stampa , went so far as to call him a "bad cop." Schael had also been convicted of anti-union conduct, following a complaint from the Cimo union. Furthermore, the manager had refused to approve the 2024 budget of the healthcare company he governed. This ended with the final rift last summer, when his successor, Livio Tranchida, was appointed as general manager.
Schael has never hidden his displeasure with the regional decision. Hence the lawsuit, which, according to rumors, leaves him owed over a million euros, including unpaid wages and other items. The hearing is scheduled for July 3rd.
