Gay cop who was demoted three ranks sues N.J. town for discrimination – NJ.com

A gay, former Lodi police captain who was demoted to patrol for skipping out on numerous roadside details has sued the borough, alleging that she’s the victim of an “old boys network” that runs the department and retaliated against her after she complained of a hostile work environment.

Theresa Grillo this week filed a lawsuit against the Borough of Lodi, alleging that the Internal Affairs investigation that ultimately wrecked her career was launched after she complained of a “culture of misogyny” that she claims flourished within the department under the leadership of Chief Donald Scorzetti.

“Plaintiff’s gender and sexual orientation appear to pose a problem for Chief Scorzetti and his male cronies,” according to the lawsuit. “Many department members have a disdain for her sexual orientation due to the ‘culture of misogyny’ and the ‘Boys Club’ that has existed in the Department for years.”

With more than 22 years on the job, Grillo was the first woman to achieve the rank of captain in the Lodi Police Department. She was second in line to become the next chief, but that dream came crashing down earlier this year when a hearing officer John Molinelli sustained departmental charges that she’d left roadside details without authorization six times between November 2020 and January 2021, then falsified vouchers to collect the full overtime pay.

Molinelli, the former Bergen County Prosecutor, also upheld the original punishment handed out by the department, busting Grillo down three ranks to patrol and suspending her without pay for two months. Grillo was also fined $1,409–the amount she collected for the roadside details that she skipped out on.

Reached for comment on Tuesday, Molinelli declined to comment on the lawsuit, but stood by his decision. “My role as the hearing officer … All I did was gather the facts,” Molinelli said. “So I certainly would have no comment, whether there was litigation or not.”

Grillo is just about finished serving her suspension and due to return to the job later this month, said her attorney, Gina Mendoza. The bust down to patrol is estimated to cost her $50,000 in salary a year, and likely much more in pension benefits once Grillo retires.

The lawsuit alleges violations of the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination and seeks to reinstate Grillo to captain, plus back pay and benefits, punitive and compensatory damages and attorney fees. Neither Scorzetti or Lodi Borough Manager Mark Schrieks responded to a request for comment on Tuesday.

Grillo has always maintained that the Internal Affairs investigation that brought her down was politically-motivated, a way to stop a woman who happened to be gay from taking command of the male-dominated police department. She contends that it was common practice for her male colleagues to leave their roadside details and take unauthorized breaks, but no one but her was ever investigated.

Grillo was “subjected to retaliation, disparate treatment, heightened security, petty indignities and selective enforcement of discipline,” the lawsuit states.

In her case, Internal Affairs used GPS in her police vehicle to secretly track her movements to and from six roadside details in late 2020 and early 2021 and build the case against her. Grillo claims the investigation was retaliation for a hostile work environment she filed against Scorzetti, but was pressured to withdraw in late 2021.

“Immediately after she withdrew her harassment complaint against Scorzetti, she became the target of an IA investigation in her performance on roadside details,” the lawsuit states. Grillo then filed additional complaints “because other officers had engaged in similar actions,” the lawsuit says.

Local journalism needs your support. Subscribe at nj.com/supporter.

Richard Cowen may be reached at rcowen@njadvancemedia.com.

Favorite