On October 28, 2015, the Township of Pemberton (Burlington County) agreed to pay $150,000 to a police officer who claimed that she was discriminated against because of her pregnancy. In her suit, Shannon Sawyer claimed that after she presented her supervisors with a doctor’s note confirming her pregnancy, she was relieved of her patrol duty […]
Posted inNJ Civil Settlements
Manville paid $38,500 to secretly settle heavy equipment operator’s discrimination and hostile work environment lawsuit.
On August 21, 2015, the Borough of Manville (Somerset County) agreed to pay $38,500 to a 38-year Department of Public Works employee who claimed that the Borough made him jump through hoops in order to return to work after a shoulder injury. In his suit, Edwin Zygiel claimed that after recovering from a May 11, […]
Posted inRandom Notes on NJ Government
Terri Gross gets probation, forfeits public office.
In 2012, Terri Gross, a police department clerk in Salem, New Jersey, and Isaac A. Young, the head of the Salem City Housing Authority, were charged with publicly releasing confidential DYFS records in an alleged attempt to derail the mayoral campaign of Charles Washington. Although the newspapers covered the matter well, I never did see […]
Posted inNJ Civil Settlements
Union Township to pay $125,000 to secretly settle police false arrest and excessive force lawsuit.
On November 16, 2015, the Township of Union (Union County) provided me with a draft of settlement agreement memorializing its intention to pay $125,000 to a local man who claimed that Union Township police entered his home without a warrant or probable cause and applied excessive force while falsely arresting him. In his suit, Michael […]
Posted inNJ Open Government Notes
NJ Supreme Court to determine OPRA’s applicability to security camera footage.
Stuart RabnerChief Justice On November 6, 2015, the New Jersey Supreme Court agreed to hear Bloomfield Township’s (Essex County) appeal of a May 13, 2015 Appellate Division ruling that required the Township to provide an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requestor with 14 hours of video taken by a stationary camera located on the back […]