A New Jersey employment lawyer has filed has filed a whistleblower lawsuit on behalf of an Edison Township police officer after being suspended for complaining of what he perceived to be discriminatory conduct by his superior, a sergeant in the police department. The lawsuit alleges that the officer responded to a motor vehicle accident. According to the lawsuit, when the officer called for assistance, he claims the sergeant stated that "there's dirty (expletive) Indians in the car, and I'm not going in there." The officer was suspended after he complained about the comments made by the sergeant. The police department claimed that the officer's action were insubordinate. Ultimately, the insubordination charges were dismissed because they were not filed within the proper window of time.
New Jersey employment laws protect employees that complain of conduct they believe in good faith to be illegal. The Conscientious Employee Protection Act (CEPA) permits employees to sue their employers for adverse employment actions taken in retaliation for blowing the whistle on conduct which they believe is illegal.
The lawyer for the officer also filed an age discrimination claim under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination. The lawyer claims that the officer was targeted because of his age.
