WEST WINDSOR, NJ – Mercer County Community College has agreed to pay $247,500 to settle a lawsuit filed by an employee, who accused a senior college executive of sexual harassment and said the college failed to protect her.
The woman, membership manager of the college's radio station WWFM, sued the MCCC and Joseph Claffey in Mercer County Superior Court. Her amended complaint was filed May 24, 2024. It listed Claffey as the college's vice president for College Advancement.
The settlement was first reported by Transparency NJ.
In the lawsuit, the woman alleged a hostile work environment sexual harassment, gender discrimination and retaliation under the state Law Against Discrimination.
The woman said Claffey became her direct supervisor in 2020 and used his position to pressure her. She alleged he made repeated comments about her appearance, used pet names and sent flirtatious text messages.
The complaint said the harassment turned physical at a Feb. 23, 2024, fundraising event, when Claffey allegedly hugged her and patted her buttocks three times. She said she reported the conduct to human resources in early March 2024.
The lawsuit also alleged the college's investigation was not thorough and that Claffey stayed on campus and kept authority over her department. She said he later scrutinized her work in retaliation.
According to the complaint, the college's human resources office told her on May 22, 2024, that her complaint was substantiated. The letter, as quoted in the complaint, said Claffey's behavior "constitutes a clear violation of College Policy." The woman said the college would not tell her what action it took.
The woman also alleged that Claffey tried to change the record while the college's investigation was underway.
According to the complaint, the woman received a notification on Sunday, March 17, 2024, that Claffey had changed his reaction to a Feb. 15 text message from a heart to a thumbs-up.
The complaint says Claffey "was clearly attempting to modify and/or destroy evidence of the sexual harassment," and that the change was meant to make his responses "appear less flirtatious" because of the HR probe. It also says the notification showed he had contacted her despite a no-contact instruction.
The settlement agreement, reviewed by Patch, says the college does not admit liability and "expressly denies" violating any law or engaging in discrimination or retaliation. It calls the deal "a compromise of disputed claims."
Under the agreement, the college will pay a total of $247,500. Of that, $143,861.73 goes to the woman for her emotional distress claims. The other $103,638.27 goes to her law firm, McOmber McOmber & Luber, for attorneys' fees and costs.
The woman signed the agreement Jan. 16. The college's signature is dated Jan. 30. The deal says it is not binding until the college's Board of Trustees approves it. Payment is due 30 days after that approval and after the college receives the required paperwork. The parties also agreed to file a dismissal of the lawsuit with prejudice once the money is received.
The agreement includes a confidentiality clause. It also carries a notice that, under state law, such a provision is unenforceable against the defendants if the plaintiff publicly reveals enough detail for them to be identified.
The Board of Trustees minutes from June 25, 2025, list Claffey as retired, effective June 30, 2025. His title there was senior director of government and community relations in the president's office. The documents do not say whether his retirement is connected to the lawsuit or the investigation.
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