Rutgers Settles $1.2M Lawsuit With Ex-Police Sergeant: Report

NEWARK, NJ — Rutgers has agreed to a $1.2 million settlement with a former police sergeant who alleged that he was fired for reporting misconduct within the Rutgers-Newark police department.

The sergeant said that he anonymously reported multiple cases of misconduct to university officials in 2017, watchdog blog Transparency NJ reported Wednesday, citing information obtained via an OPRA request. Read the full report here.

The sergeant’s allegations included supervisors sleeping on duty, receiving pay despite not showing up for work, officers conducting personal business while on the clock, drinking beer while on duty, overtime fraud and the mishandling of disciplinary files.

The sergeant also said he reported an incident involving an officer who – while driving intoxicated for the second time – crashed into a parked car and injured a female passenger.

Rutgers brought the sergeant up on disciplinary charges in 2018 after he allegedly failed to prevent a newly hired officer from stopping an unauthorized car chase. Despite the sergeant’s objections – and a review that determined the pursuit was “properly supervised” – the university police chief terminated his employment, he said.

The sergeant filed a retaliation lawsuit against the university in 2019.

A settlement was reached on Jan. 7. The total settlement amount of $1,209,760 included $634,760 for lost wages, subject to tax and retirement contributions, $85,043 for non-economic damages such as emotional distress, and $489,957 for attorney fees and litigation costs. Rutgers also agreed to cover mediation expenses associated with the case, Transparency NJ reported.

A Rutgers spokesperson declined to comment to Patch about the settlement.

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