Montclair Sued Over Retaliation Claims – Again: Reports

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Montclair is being sued over claims of retaliation, reports say – again.

The township’s affirmative action officer, Bruce Morgan, filed a lawsuit against Montclair and interim town manager Michael Lapolla on Wednesday. He is claiming that township officials retaliated against him and undermined his authority after he backed up other employees' accusations of workplace discrimination, Montclair Local reported.

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. See Related: 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.”

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