Somerset County Sheriff's Officer Claims She Was Groped By Superior: Lawsuit

SOMERSET COUNTY, NJ — A Somerset County Sheriff's Officer has filed a lawsuit against the county and her employer claiming sexual harassment and sexual assault.

Kristen Delacruz, who has worked for the Sheriff's Office since May 2013 and is currently serving as delegate for PBA Local 177, filed the lawsuit on Tuesday, May 21 in Somerset County Superior Court specifically over allegations against her direct superior Captain Donald Essig.

"Somerset County does not comment on pending litigation," County Spokesman Nathan Rudy told Patch.

A request for comment to the Sheriff's Office was not immediately returned.

Delacruz claims the harassment stems from a phone call she made in January 2023 to Sheriff Darrin Russo about training issues and mandatory overtime due to lack of staff.

After the phone call, the lawsuit alleges that Essig told Officer James Villamil, President of PBA Local 177, "who the f*ck does she think she is calling the sheriff" - referring to Delacruz.

The next day, Delacruz claims Essig enforced a vest wearing rule directed toward her, despite not having worn a vest since 2021.

Delacruz alleges she had repeatedly requested a female cut vest since March 2021 but was told

"If the Department ordered a special cut vest for her, they would be required to order one for every female officer, which the administration did not want to do because of the expense."

Delacruz's previous vest was damaged in a house fire in March 2021. As a result she was given an old used vest to wear.

"The vest was extremely small and pushed [Delacruz's] breasts out to the sides and up to the top, exposing them out the sides of the vest and making it extremely uncomfortable and embarrassing to wear it," claims the lawsuit.

As a result, Delacruz was given another vest to wear which she claims she took home to wash and dry.

On Jan. 27, the lawsuit claims Essig "touched and assaulted [Delacruz] when he felt her up to see if she was wearing a vest."

"Essig's touching of [Delacruz] was perpetrated upon her when Essig groped and/or felt [Delacruz] up when he rubbed his hands up her body in order to 'see if she was wearing a vest.' It was obvious whether she was wearing a vest by looking at her clothes, and there is no need to touch her to verify that she was wearing a vest," according to the lawsuit.

Delacruz filed a complaint with human resources. As a result, Essig was not allowed to work when she was on duty and they were to avoid contact with each other.

However, the lawsuit alleges "Essig was constantly working while she was working, placing himself in locations where he knew Plaintiff would have to be in order to perform her duties, calling her via phone at work when he was not supposed to have contact with her, and not allowing her to work where she wanted to when she was mandated to work overtime."

The lawsuit alleges the actions, failures to act and/or omissions of the Sheriff’s Office caused Delacruz to suffer pain and suffering, extreme and severe emotional distress, and physical manifestations of emotional distress.

As a result, she is seeking damages in the form of recovery for egregious pain and suffering, punitive damages, and a reasonable award of attorneys' fees.

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