South Brunswick Denies Retaliation Claims In Employee's Water Safety Lawsuit

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — South Brunswick is pushing back against a lawsuit from a longtime public works employee who claims officials retaliated against him for reporting drinking water safety violations and refused to accommodate his use of prescribed medical marijuana for chronic back pain.

In a 22-page answer filed Feb. 16 in Superior Court in Middlesex County, the township denied the bulk of the allegations raised by Scott Griggs, a Heavy Equipment Operator II who has worked for South Brunswick since 1997. The township is asking the court to dismiss the complaint in its entirety and award it attorney's fees and costs.

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Griggs, represented by the Hamilton Law Firm of Princeton, is seeking damages "far in excess of $1,000,000" under New Jersey's Conscientious Employee Protection Act and the Law Against Discrimination, according to the complaint, which was filed Dec. 17, 2025.

The lawsuit alleges what it calls an "egregious and abusive pattern of behavior" by the township after Griggs raised concerns with his supervisor and human resources about the municipal water supply. The township's response denied that preliminary statement "in its entirety."

At the center of the dispute is a July 2021 water test at Griggs' home that he says showed the presence of Coliform bacteria, an indicator of possible fecal contamination. State law requires a follow-up sample within 24 hours. Griggs alleges that supervisor Brian Fusco reported taking a clean second sample from inside his home the next day — but that no one was there to let him in.

The township, in its answer, says Fusco instead took a sample from a nearby fire hydrant in compliance with state guidance in effect during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that the sample tested negative for both Coliform and E. coli.

In his lawsuit Griggs further alleged that coworkers falsified pH and chlorine residual readings in 2022, that an employee lied about adding lime to a water tank in November 2024 when the lime pump was broken, and that the township's SCADA system — which monitors water treatment — was left inoperable in October 2024, creating what the complaint calls a "public danger." The township acknowledged the SCADA system was offline but said it was down for maintenance and an upgrade from a microwave system to a cellular one, with manual physical monitoring used as a backup.

The complaint also accuses a coworker of bribing Fusco for a promotion via Venmo in October 2023, an allegation the township denies.

Griggs took medical leave from Jan. 13, 2025, to March 17, 2025, due to what the complaint describes as stress, anxiety and a gastritis flareup stemming from workplace conditions. The complaint alleges that when Griggs requested a personal day the day after returning, HR sent three police officers and an ambulance to take him to a psychiatric hospital "in an attempt to make it appear that Mr. Griggs was unstable."

The township's answer offers a different account, saying officers were dispatched on a wellness check after Griggs sent HR an email at 6 a.m. stating "I haven't felt worse" and "I need help."

After Griggs disclosed that he had been prescribed medical marijuana — which he ingests as an edible at night, according to the complaint — he was subjected to a random drug test in August 2025, tested positive for THC, and was placed on paid and then unpaid administrative leave, the complaint says. He sought an accommodation to continue using the medication; the township declined.

The complaint alleges Griggs has never used his commercial driver's license in nearly 16 years on the job. The township counters that his position is "safety-sensitive," that maintaining a CDL is an essential function, and that it "is not required to permit Plaintiff to operate a vehicle or heavy equipment while under the influence of marijuana."

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