Attorney Bashes Montclair For Axing Affirmative Action Officer: Report

MONTCLAIR, NJ — It’s a “farce.” That’s how the attorney for a former Montclair municipal official is describing the town’s affirmative action department after Bruce Morgan’s firing earlier this year.

Morgan alleges that the town suspended him on Oct. 2 and fired him on Nov. 13 in an act of illegal retaliation – a claim that legal representation for the town has denied, Montclair Local reported last week (read the full article here).

Morgan filed a lawsuit against Montclair and interim town manager Michael Lapolla earlier this year. He is claiming that township officials retaliated against him and undermined his authority after he backed up other employees' accusations of workplace discrimination.

One of those reports involved a case between the town’s CFO Padmaja Rao and former town manager Tim Stafford, who allegedly created a “hostile” workplace that cost the township some key female employees over the years. It was a claim that Morgan found had merit, NorthJersey.com reported.

The township eventually settled Rao’s lawsuit – which also involved claims of retaliation – for $1.25 million. Read More: Montclair Will Pay $1.25M To Settle ‘Whistleblower’ Suit With CFO

Another case cited in Morgan’s lawsuit involves a probe done in 2022, when Morgan found merit to claims that the fire department's promotional exam put racial minority groups at a disadvantage.

Morgan’s lawsuit seeks lost pay and benefits, damages for emotional distress and attorney's fees.

Lapolla denied all of Morgan's allegations in a public statement, saying that “there is no law or rule whereby investigations have to be turned over to the affirmative action officer” and adding that he “trusts the HR department has handled all of these matters appropriately.”

“The affirmative action scheme that they had set up was just a farce … It wasn’t real,” Morgan’s attorney told Montclair Local, alleging that the township outsourced its affirmative action investigations to a law firm with the understanding that it would not find them responsible.

“As soon as they found that they were liable for discrimination, they fired the person who found them responsible,” he said.

• See Related: Montclair Sued Over Retaliation Claims – Again

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