Spotswood sues Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, but lawsuit details are sealed
Spotswood has filed a lawsuit against the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, but its details are confidential.
The borough on Thursday filed two suits against the Prosecutor's Office, but one was voluntarily dismissed on Saturday.
The other is still active and on Monday, Mayor Jackie Palmer filed a motion to join that lawsuit. Palmer's lawyer, Sayreville Borough Attorney and Bridgewater Mayor Matt Moench, also filed an amendment to the complaint against the Prosecutor's Office.
However, the contents of that lawsuit remain confidential under the court rule that police investigative records, unless admitted into evidence or submitted to the court in support of a pleading, are excluded from public access.
The contents of the dismissed lawsuit are also confidential under the court rules that excludes public access to records required to be kept confidential by law.
The active case has been assigned to Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Patrick Bradshaw.
The borough's lawsuit against the Prosecutor's Office came 11 days after borough Police Officer Richard Sasso Jr. filed a lawsuit against the borough and Palmer under the state's Whistleblower Law.
In that 45-page lawsuit, Sasso, who has been with the Spotswood Police Department since 2012 and serves as president of the Spotswood PBA Local 225, cites among his allegations of the "prevalent corruption" in the mayor's office, is his investigation into an April 2022 incident when Palmer became irate when police did not remove a Black man from the municipal building and the alleged coverup of her actions.
Palmer and the borough have filed a motion asking a Superior Court judge to redact portions of Sasso's lawsuit that alleges she "personally sought to stymie" his career "by preventing him from being promoted and repeatedly criticizing/badmouthing him to essentially anyone who would listen."
Sasso's attorney, Patrick Toscano, has opposed the motion, arguing in a brief that it is "a blatant yet unconvincing attempt to further conceal Palmer and Spotswood’s egregious and continuous illegal misconduct from the public. Simply put, (Palmer and Spotwood) do not want the public to know that Palmer is drunk with power, has made racist comments on Borough property, and has continued to abuse Borough employees verbally and administratively throughout her tenure as Spotswood Mayor."
A decision of that motion is due on Feb. 2.
The borough's lawsuit is another chapter in the lengthy litigation between Spotswood police officers and the borough in the 2.4-square-mile borough with a population of 8,000.
Last year Brittany Johnson, the borough's first female police officer, filed suit against Palmer, Police Chief Philip Corbisiero, Sgt. Nelson Nichols, Patrolman Ozman Dikiz and the borough, alleging she was the subject of discrimination, retaliation and harassment because of her gender. That suit is still pending.
Also still pending is a lawsuit filed by officers John Fedak, Nicholas Mayo and Edward Scharpley in June 2020 against former Borough Administrator Dawn McDonald, Seeley and the borough, alleging they were the victims of a hostile work environment, harassment and retaliation.
In addition, a May 28 trial date has been set for a lawsuit filed in 2021 by McDonald against the borough, Zarro, Corbisiero, Seeley and others claiming she was the victim of harassment, defamation and retaliation.
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: Spotswood NJ sues Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office
