Town Worker Sues Gloucester Township Over Workplace Harassment
GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBS) - A federal lawsuit has been filed on behalf of a Gloucester Township public works employee who says he was taunted by two colleagues because of his race and the township did nothing about it.
Steven Brodie Jr. says he was harassed time and again, including one incident four years ago in which he was locked in a storage cage.
Brodie, who is black, says he complained to supervisors about the harassment by two white co-workers, but got nowhere -- until he got criminal charges filed.
David Pomianek is appealing his conviction on harassment and intimidation; Michael Dorazo is awaiting trial.
"The defendants had a history of discriminatory acts and this lawsuit is based primarily on the township and its managers' failure to discipline these individuals because they have certain ties to the community," said Brodie's attorney Charles Gibbs.
Dorazo's mother is a member of the township's Human Relations Commission.
The suit lists 20 defendants, including current and former township officials, the Human Relations Commission and Brodie's two co-workers.
Gibbs says his client is seeking compensatory damages, punitive damages and an injunction to prohibit future similar conduct.
The township solicitor could not be reached for comment.
Reported by David Madden, KYW Newsradio 1060
