Upper Darby Council VP sues resident over Facebook post

Upper Darby Council Vice President Noah Fields filed a lawsuit against a 66-year-old resident over an Oct. 27, 2025, Facebook post — a few weeks before voters elected him to the council. 

The filing by Bochetto & Lentz said Shellie Siegel Hoyt Zollo had “disseminated a sealed juvenile matter – identifying Mr. Fields by his full name, date of birth, and alleged charges from a juvenile incident resolved in 2016 – and falsely asserted that this incident reflects on his character as an adult and as a community member.” 

Zollo “made these statements in a political context, in retaliation for Mr. Fields’ participation in protected public discourse,” the civil complaint alleged. 

The complaint went on to say that Zollo had violated the law against “unauthorized disclosure” of juvenile records; that “expunged or sealed records are deemed nonexistent as a matter of law; for “public disclosure of private events; and for defamation by “falsely implying that juvenile allegations – never adjudicated as offenses and legally nullified – reflect ongoing criminality or moral unfitness.” 

The lawsuit, filed in Common Pleas Court in Philadelphia, said the juvenile matter was “resolved by consent decree on Feb. 11, 2016 and automatically terminated and expunged on Feb. 11, 2017.”

So, “he was never adjudicated delinquent and never convicted of any offense,” the suit said. 

It also claimed that Zollo’s Facebook post damaged Fields’s reputation and caused “emotional distress and humiliation,” and that it was “interference with civic participation and unlawful voter intimidation … when statements are used to mislead the public in connection with an election.” 

Zollo told Fideri News Network that she had no idea that what she posted to Facebook had been a sealed record. Former Councilman Andrew Hayman contacted her immediately, telling her to remove the post. Then a friend of hers also told her to do so, saying, “‘You’re better than that,’” she said. 

So, she deleted the post, which was up 22 minutes on Oct. 27. 

Zollo frequently speaks out at Upper Darby Council meetings and was also one of the residents who had sued the township over the earned income tax and for alleged misuse of federal ARPA funds.

Asked to comment, Fields said, “The lawsuit is publicly filed. Anyone who wants to read the complaint can do so. Beyond that, I don’t have any comment while litigation is ongoing (and) while there is an active UDPD criminal investigation.” 

Zollo said that Upper Darby Police Lt. Michael Scott interviewed her and examined her cellphone. She has not been criminally charged. Scott could not be reached for comment on Thursday.

Zollo, meanwhile, can’t afford to hire an attorney and is representing herself. 

Linda Stein is an award-winning journalist who’s written for newspapers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Arizona. Before joining Fideri News Network, she was the news editor for Delaware Valley Journal. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Temple University and earned her undergraduate degree from Arcadia University. Contact her at lstein@fiderinews.com.