Belleville Settles Lawsuit With Retired Fireman: Report

BELLEVILLE, NJ — The Township of Belleville has settled a lawsuit with a retired municipal fireman for $25,000, a report says.

Belleville has agreed to pay retired firefighter Peter Coppola and his attorney $25,000 to settle a lawsuit claiming that municipal officials retaliated against him for refusing to drop a wage claim that dates back to 1993, the NJ Civil Settlements blog reported Friday.

The township entered into a settlement agreement with Coppola on April 24, the report states. A resolution authorizing settlement and execution of the agreement was introduced to the Belleville Municipal Council on May 24.

In his lawsuit, Coppola - who was a Belleville Fire Department employee for 25 years - claimed that a 1993 arbitration agreement obligated the township to pay him for 283 hours that he had allegedly worked without pay. Coppola claimed in the lawsuit that after the municipality reneged on its agreement in 2009, the township manager allegedly told him that “the township does not have the money to make the payout."

According to NJ Civil Settlements, Coppola claimed that he was re-employed by the township as a part-time mechanic in 2013, three years after his retirement. He alleged that he was called in the fire chief's office and informed that if wanted to keep his part-time job, he would have to drop his claim for the 283 hours of pay.

Coppola, who said that he was "shocked and disappointed” in the lawsuit, then allegedly asked the fire chief if the township would agree to a long term contract for his present job, the report states.

Coppola claimed that the was fired a few days later, the report states.

See the full civil complaint here.

Photo: Flickr Commons

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