$145G settlement in Plainfield police racism lawsuit exposed

PLAINFIELD – City officials have quietly agreed to pay $145,000 to a former Police Division aide who claims a white lieutenant discriminated against her because she is black.

The settlement, reached in April, ends the lawsuit filed by Sharon Williams in 2011 in Superior Court in Elizabeth.

The complaint alleged that Lt. Jeffrey Plum retaliated against Williams when she refused to do tasks ordered by Plum because she believed they violated division rules and policies.

Williams was on the city's payroll until the end of May, while Plum continues his $121,000-salary job.

In agreeing to settle, the city did not admit wrongdoing and both sides agreed not to discuss the case or disclose any details. The settlement, however, is considered a public record under the state's Open Public Records Act.

Details of the case are being reported for the first time and the existence of the settlement was brought to light last week by state Libertarian Party open-government activist and Somerset County resident John Paff, who often posts government documents on his website.

The settlement comes as another city agency is facing a separate racial discrimination lawsuit filed last year by a former Plainfield Municipal Utilities Authority (PMUA) executive who claims he was discriminated against because he is white.

Former PMUA Chief Financial Officer James Perry claims in his lawsuit that former PMUA executives received controversial severance packages worth a combined $1.2 million because they were black, as are the members of the trash-collection agency's Board of Commissioners.

The Plainfield Police Division is one of the more diverse police forces in the state, according to public records. About 48 percent of the division's employees are black and 42 percent are white, while 10 percent identify as Hispanic.

Williams, a Willingboro resident, claimed Plum asked her to answer a radio call and check a license plate on two occasions in 2010 and 2011 while she was occupied with booking prisoners.

After she complained in writing about Plum, Williams said that he had her suspended and retaliated by "constantly injecting himself into (her) business and job when he has no need or right to, filing false disciplinary charges against (her), constantly questioning (her) about other employees and their whereabouts, by using the computer in (her) workspace when he has no business doing so and by creating a hostile work environment."

The four-page complaint stated that Plum did not treat white employees the same way he treated her.

The settlement agreement states that $45,000 is for lost wages while the balance is for emotional distress damages. Williams was represented by Lawrence N. Lavigne of Union Township (Union).

Staff Writer Sergio Bichao: 908-243-6615; sbichao@mycentraljersey.com