‘Silenced’ NJ Police Officer Attacks Nondisparagement Deals

A New Jersey high court argument Wednesday centered around whether government agencies can enforce silence against employees who claim harassment, discrimination, or retaliation.

The case involved a former Neptune Township Police Department sergeant who was told that going to the press to report harassment at her workplace violated the nondisparagement clause in her settlement agreement with the force. But that clause, she claims, was specifically outlawed by the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, which prohibits deals that prevent government employees from speaking out.

“How is that possibly consistent with the actual statutory language?” Justice Rachel Wainer Apter asked in ...