Former Health Official's Defamation Lawsuit Against Murphy Can Go Ahead, Judge Rules

HOLMDEL, NJ — A former state health official can go ahead with a defamation lawsuit against Governor Phil Murphy, a Mercer County judge decided last week.

Christopher Neuwirth, former assistant commissioner for the New Jersey Department of Health, filed the original lawsuit a month after he was fired. That was in June of 2020. Among other things, Neuwirth claimed Murphy made false statements that damaged his reputation.

Murphy and the state tried to get the defamation portion of Neuwirth's lawsuit thrown out. Judge Douglas H. Hurd denied the state's motion last week, according to court documents.

Court records show that Neuwirth, a Holmdel resident, claims Murphy defamed him by not refuting anonymous state sources who spoke to the media about his job termination.

Neuwirth claims that he was terminated because he questioned an order to go test family members of Murphy's chief of staff for COVID-19 in spring 2020, NJ.com reported. However, the anonymous sources claimed it was because of Neuwirth's outside consulting work — work Neuwirth's attorney says he got approval for in December 2019, according to NJ.com.

Also, in a secretly recorded conversation, State Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said Neuwirth was fired because he was leaking information to the media about the state's COVID-19 response, NJ.com reported.

Neuwirth also claimed that the state retaliated against him, and that Murphy falsely indicated he had a secret second job, court records show.

Neuwirth claims his reputation was damaged, and that Murphy's public statements were false, according to court records. He is seeking compensation for a variety of things, including front and back pay, compensatory damages, and legal fees.