Sexual assault lawsuit against Manville police chief may go to federal court
MANVILLE – A lawsuit alleging the borough police chief sexually harassed and assaulted a longtime police department employee over a dozen years is in a legal tug of war whether it will be heard in state Superior Court or federal district court.
Kristine Bujalski, who worked for the borough police department since May 2000, initially as a records clerk and since 2018 as executive assistant to the chief, filed the civil suit in Superior Court on Feb. 15 against the borough, Chief Thomas Herbst and Lt. Paul Meixner.
Herbst and Meixner are on temporary administrative leave.
On March 21, Manville's attorney, Leslie Parikh, filed a motion in Superior Court to move the case to federal court because the suit raised questions whether Bujalski's constitutional rights had been violated.
But Nicholas Milewski, Bujalski's attorney, filed a motion April 5 in federal court to move the case back to Superior Court, arguing that an amended lawsuit withdrew the claims that her federal rights had been violated.
In the meantime, Manville filed a reply to the complaint in federal court, denying allegations against the borough.
Herbst and Meixner have yet to file responses to the suit.
The lawsuit alleges that from 2008 to 2021 Herbst "engaged in a prolonged pattern and practice of abhorrent sexual harassment and repeated sexual assault against (Bujalski) while acting as her direct supervisor in the police department" and that she endured "continual unwelcome and repellant sexual touching and sexual intercourse against her will perpetrated by Herbst."
The 31-page lawsuit outlines in graphic detail instances of Herbst allegedly masturbating in front of her at police headquarters, allegedly sexually touching her under her clothes, allegedly forcing her to have sex in the archive room at headquarters, allegedly going to her home to sexually assault her during her lunch hour or after work, and allegedly forcing her on three occasions to have intercourse at a hotel.
Earlier: Manville police chief on leave after lawsuit alleges sexual assault over 12 years
Bujalski, a single mother of two daughters and whose two sons-in-law work for the department, says in the lawsuit that because she feared retaliation and the loss of the job she needed to provide for her family, she was embarrassed and humiliated and did not report the alleged conduct.
What finally prompted Bujalski to file the lawsuit was a Feb. 3 incident in which Meixner, standing just a few feet from her, allegedly pointed a loaded shotgun at her at police headquarters after she asked him to do some work she was not able to do, according to the lawsuit. Then he laughed about scaring her with the weapon, the lawsuit says.
Bujalski walked away trembling and upset at having a loaded gun pointed at her and later Meixner allegedly formed his hand into the shape of a gun and pretended to "shoot" at her, the lawsuit alleges.
Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com
Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Manville NJ police chief sex assault lawsuit may go to federal court
