$1.7M Jury Award For Whistleblowing Morristown Cop

MORRISTOWN, NJ — A jury has awarded a Morristown police officer $1.7 million in damages after they found the department retaliated against him after he whistleblew on the police chief.

Officer Keith Hudson filed a complaint in 2014 alleging that Chief Peter Demnitz worked for various local companies while clocked in for work at the Morristown police department. The jury found that after his complaint, Hudson was demoted out of the detective bureau and took a pay cut.

On Wednesday, the jury awarded Hudson $10,000 in damages for emotional distress, nearly $200,000 in backpay, and $1.5 million in punitive damages, the Daily Record reported.

The town has vowed to fight the monetary damages, but says some of the aspects of the trial concerned them.

"The Town relies on the Chief's recommendations in personnel matters in the Police Department. We expect everyone to be treated fairly and are concerned by some of the information that came out at the trial,” said Mayor Timothy Dougherty. “However, we are proud of our law enforcement and the tenor of this case does not reflect the core of the Morristown Police Department, nor its hard working men and women."

• Read More: Morristown Police Chief Worked Outside Jobs While On Duty, Cop Claims

Image via Shutterstock