Judge tosses employee’s lawsuit against Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes

Joe Malinconico
·3 min read

PATERSON — A judge recently dismissed clerical employee Daisy Vargas’ whistleblower lawsuit accusing Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes of retaliating against her.

New Jersey Superior Court Judge Stephan Hansbury ruled on April 28 that Vargas failed to provide sufficient facts showing she knew of any wrongdoing by Valdes, that she tried to expose any misconduct by the prosecutor, and that she suffered retaliation for any such activities.

Vargas’ complaint accused Valdes of requiring her to do numerous personal tasks, such as helping the prosecutor move to a new home and decorate it, buying groceries, helping her with Christmas shopping, and giving her money for the deposit for the prosecutor’s father’s funeral.

Vargas alleged that Valdes started calling her “Crazy Daisy” after the two women had a falling out over the duties she was performing for her boss.

Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes and Passaic City Mayor Hector Lora were two of the dignitaries that spoke during Immigration Integration Day at Passaic City Hall where immigrants and their families can get help and information on legal and other issues to help the process of integration and inclusion.
Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes and Passaic City Mayor Hector Lora were two of the dignitaries that spoke during Immigration Integration Day at Passaic City Hall where immigrants and their families can get help and information on legal and other issues to help the process of integration and inclusion.

But in court filings, Valdes’ lawyers cited more than a dozen text messages Vargas sent to the prosecutor over the course of 27 months after their fallout. The prosecutor’s attorneys said those messages showed the prosecutor was not forcing her workplace subordinate to handle her personal business.

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“My life keeps throwing curve balls that r hard for me to hit,” Vargas said in an August 2019 text that ended their friendship, according to Valdes’ lawyers. “I have to understand that the bottom line here is that u r my boss & nothing more. So at this point in my life I’m going to just keep it professional. I love u too much & must let go of the friendship. I don’t want to put u in any bad situation with the front office.”

Several times in the texts, Vargas called Valdes “Sunshine” and described the prosecutor as her “only true friend.”

In June 2020, Vargas allegedly wrote to Valdes: “I just want to clear the air between us & to be able to move forward whatever happens. We both deserve closure ... Please don’t reject me or ignore my text, it hurts. I’m being sincere from the bottom of my heart.”

In May 2021, Vargas allegedly wrote Valdes a text that said, “I do miss you a lot & continue loving you in silence. Please take care of yourself & always know everything I did was for a reason even if it meant losing the best thing in my life. Someday we can talk about it when you are ready to hear my side.”

Valdes declined to comment on the lawsuit’s dismissal. The lawyers in the case could not be reached for comment.

Valdes has served as Passaic County prosecutor since 2009, but Gov. Phil Murphy’s reported attempt to reappoint her to another term has been blocked by state Sen. Kristin Corrado under senatorial courtesy.

Corrado last fall called for Valdes to resign after the news broke that the Prosecutor’s Office had decided not to file charges against six Paterson cops who eventually were convicted of by federal authorities of numerous crimes.

Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press.

Email: editor@patersonpress.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes lawsuit tossed