HACKENSACK, N.J. (1010 WINS) — A former corrections officer filed a lawsuit Friday against the Bergen County Sheriff's Office in Hackensack, alleging that supervisors ignored her complaints that she had been sexually harassed by her jail colleagues for years.
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The woman said she was suspended and terminated after she complained of "severe and grotesque sexual harassment by officers," according to the lawsuit filed in Bergen County Superior Court.
In the suit, obtained by NJ.com, the Morris County woman alleges that a corrections officer dropped his pants and exposed himself to her in 2018 and said, "I'll show you mine if you show me yours." The woman then allegedly reported the incident to her supervisor, who only said, "Wow."
That same year, in a memo to her supervisor, the woman detailed incidents of alleged harassment, saying that the man who allegedly exposed himself to her "was always angry, unapproachable and very difficult to work with."
She also said in the memo that she was uncomfortable working with the man and was afraid of retaliation from other sheriff's officers if she filed a formal complaint against him.
The man allegedly made comments about her buttocks and hugged and tried to kiss her. The woman then made another complaint, according to the suit.
The incident was referred to the sheriff's Office of Professional Standards, and the office issued a no-contact order prohibiting the man from interacting with the plaintiff.
She discussed her concerns in detail with her superiors and wrote an email to the executive undersheriff complaining that female employees at the jail were not protected or treated fairly by their supervisors.
"In response, the executive undersheriff declined to 'inject himself into the matter' and referred plaintiff back to her direct superiors," the lawsuit added.
Ultimately, the woman claims that she was retaliated against, denied an opportunity to receive the same training provided to her male coworkers and was often subjected to "inappropriate comments, conduct and harassment."
In 2020, the woman said she was reprimanded for contacting the medical department to treat an inmate’s bleeding hand before the inmate had been photographed or fingerprinted. About a month later, she was notified that an internal affairs investigation had been opened against her with regard to the bleeding inmate incident.
According to the suit, the woman received a disciplinary notice in 2021 that contained numerous allegations against her. The sheriff’s office suspended her without pay for 90 days as a result of the charges.
The woman claimed in the lawsuit that she took a job at a daycare to make up for her lost salary. She alleges that at least two corrections officers, whose children were enrolled at the facility, turned up in uniform and spoke poorly of her to her new coworkers, which led to her termination.
She argues she also lost her corrections job for reporting inappropriate conduct from some of the men she worked with and was repeatedly subjected to harassment for making complaints. It accuses the sheriff’s office and its employees of violating the state's Law Against Discrimination, creating a hostile work environment, retaliation and defamation.
Bergen County Sheriff Anthony Cureton told NJ.com via a spokesperson Monday that he does not comment on pending litigation. Derek Sands, a spokesperson for Bergen County, said the county does not comment on personnel issues.
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