Discrimination Lawsuit Against Paramus Catholic May Proceed, Court Rules

PARAMUS, N.J. — A discrimination lawsuit against Paramus Catholic HIgh School and the Archdiocese of Newark will not be reviewed by a state appeals court.

The archdiocese filed a motion with the Superior Court of New Jersey Appellate Division Nov. 9 to dismiss Kate Drumgoole's lawsuit. The motion was denied Dec. 9.

Drumgoole, Paramus Catholic's former dean of guidance and girls' basketball coach, filed the lawsuit in April against the school after she was fired in January. Administrators found out she was in a same-sex marriage with an alumnus and terminated her employment.

Drumgoole, 33, is a Paramus Catholic alumnus. She played on the Lady Paladins basketball team. She was the director, and then dean, of guidance last year. She was named head coach of the girls' basketball team last year, NorthJersey.com reported.

RELATED: Former Paramus Catholic Guidance Counselor Sues School Over Alleged Same-Sex Marriage Firing

The school and the archdiocese defended Drumgoole's dismissal was done without prejudice and based on canon law — church law. They claim the state Law Against Discrimination permits them "the freedom to require that their employees" abide by the tenants of the Catholic religion and that "same-sex marriage violates Catholic religiou tenants." In this case, Drumgoole allegedly violated the tenet forbidding employees to enter into same-sex marriages.

Drumgoole said the firing may have been in retailion for telling school officials about an incident involving two school employees who allegedly had sex with students while chaperoning a school trip to Germany, NorthJersey.com reported.

The school reportedly found out about Drumgoole's marriage when her wife's sister sent photos of the couple's wedding to several Facebook pages, including the school's.

Thousands of alumni have signed an open letter to the school's administrators, demanding the school apologize for firing her.

"By your decision, you perpetuate misinformed hate against individuals on the basis of their gender and sexuality," the letter states. "From your position of power and privilege, you deny lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students a psychologically safe learning environment."

Nearly 500 people signed a change.org petition demanding the school apologize and offer Drumgoogle her job back.

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