Parsippany Pays $1 Million To Settle Legal Battle With Ex-Police Officer

PARSIPPANY, NJ — Nearly a decade of lawsuits later, former police Cpt. James Carifi says he has been "vindicated." The Township of Parsippany agreed to pay Carifi a $1 million settlement.

"My good name has been cleared, and my status as a law-abiding law-enforcement official is solidly in place through this settlement," Carifi said Monday in a news conference. "I am relieved to be moving forward and putting an end to this chapter of my life."

Mayor Michael Soriano gave Carifi a letter in good standing, a retirement badge and retirement ID card. Soriano did not attend the news conference inside Town Hall, but Patch requested a statement from the township and will update with any response.

As a Parsippany police officer, Carifi opened a whistleblower claim in 2011, saying Parsippany's governing body and then-Police Chief Michael Peckerman conspired against him because he reported improper activities within the police department. Carifi was transferred and denied a promotion, resulting in his 2013 retirement, according to his lawsuit.

Soriano ends his term as mayor at the end of this year, and James Barberio will take over Jan. 1 for a third term as mayor. Barberio became one of several key figures in the township's legal battles with Carifi, so the timing of the settlement mattered to the retired officer.

"During this recent campaign for mayor, it was mentioned that the John Inglesino law firm would not be coming back in any form to the township of Parsippany," Carifi said, referencing the township attorney during Barberio's previous two terms as mayor. "I personally do not believe that to be a true statement."

Carifi says many of the investigations into his conduct stemmed from retaliation against his brother — Council Member Paul Carifi Jr. — running against Barberio in the 2013 Republican primary. Barberio won the primary, and Paul Carifi remains a member of council.

Last year, the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey vacated a unanimous jury verdict in the first case and remanded it for a new trial.

While an officer, Carifi says he reported misconduct within the department, including submissions of false payroll sheets and "lies" about specific documents officials never saw. This resulted in several internal-affairs investigations against Carifi, along with "bogus disciplinary charges," he said.

"The main aspect of this whole lawsuit," Carifi said, "was to clear my name and show that my standing up to public corruption is the right thing to do."

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