NJ Ex-Superintendent Accused Of Sexual Harassment: Lawsuit

HOLMDEL, NJ — The former superintendent of Holmdel Township Public Schools was accused of sexual harassment by his former secretary in a lawsuit filed last week.

Marie Deane, who has worked for the district since 2014, claimed in the suit that Leroy Seitz repeatedly made misogynistic, sexually harassing and discriminatory comments to Holmdel board of education staff members.

The lawsuit was filed in Monmouth County Superior Court on March 15. It also named district human resources manager Elena Jaume and the board of education.

It seeks unspecified punitive and compensatory damages, as well as back pay and benefits following Deane's reinstatement to her executive secretary position after being reassigned to Holmdel High School.

It also asked that the defendants undergo anti-discrimination and harassment training.

Patch reached out to Seitz, Jaume and the board for comment on the suit.

Seitz served as interim superintendent of Holmdel schools from May 2020 to December 2021, following the resignation of Robert McGarry.

The suit alleged that Seitz made “vile comments” not only toward staff members but also toward students.

On Sept. 24, 2021, Seitz informed the Holmdel board of education's interim director of student services, Carolyn Marano, that several women who attended a recent meeting with him dressed provocatively in an attempt to persuade him on various topics discussed at the meeting, the complaint alleged.

The complaint also alleged that on Oct. 18, 2021, Seitz inappropriately discussed a school nurse’s concern with a parent's request to provide cream to a student’s genital area, saying, “Oh, come on Carolyn, we’ve got to have several pedophiles on staff that would volunteer to put Desitin on the child, haha. I want to see the job description for this, haha.”

The lawsuit said that when Deane spoke up about the harassing and discriminatory comments, she was “forced to work from home while Seitz, remarkably, suffered no consequences and/or discipline whatsoever.”

Seitz obtained Deane's work passwords and rummaged through her accounts while she was working from home in an attempt to learn the details of her complaints about his comments, the lawsuit said.

“Even worse, Defendant Seitz ultimately locked Plaintiff [Deane] out of her work accounts, effectively prohibiting her from completing her work assignments,” the lawsuit said.