Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Montgomery's Only Jewish Cop Claims He Was Passed Over For Promotions: Lawsuit
A cop, who says he is Montgomery's only Jewish police officer ever hired, has filed a lawsuit against the Township and a superior officer claiming he was passed over multiple times for promotions.
Jason Clifford, who has been serving as a Patrol Officer for the past 20 years, filed the lawsuit in Somerset County Superior Court last week.
The lawsuit alleges Clifford's professional and personal reputation was unspoiled, pristine, second-to-none, and virtually unblemished.
"In short, law enforcement officers do not come any better – Clifford was and remains the model and quintessential law enforcement officer," according to the lawsuit.
Despite, Clifford's professional record he claims he "was unlawfully bypassed for a promotion in 2014, 2017, and 2024."
Clifford also alleges that while at a BBQ on May 8, Sergeant Ryan Gray while chuckling, made ethnically improper, inappropriate, unwarranted, and bizarre comments to Clifford, such as "is that meat kosher" and "will you be drinking Manischewitz when you go home tonight?"
Gray's comments were made in front of other Montgomery Police officers, said Clifford.
"Gray's racist and prejudicial comments were made by him with the express intent to humiliate, denigrate, and belittle Clifford in the eyes of other officers," according to the lawsuit.
As a result, Clifford reported Gray's comments which prompted an investigation by Internal Affairs.
Around the time of the investigation, Clifford said he was a candidate for a newly announced Montgomery Police Sergeant promotional process.
However, the lawsuit alleges that because Clifford reported Gray's "racist and prejudicial comments, Clifford was once again wrongfully bypassed for the MPD Sergeant position – this being the third promotional bypass."
Clifford alleges that because of the retaliation taken against him, "Clifford was forced by Montgomery's misconduct to endure severe, continuous, and pervasive humiliation, embarrassment, harassment, and abuse such that a reasonable person in his circumstance would believe the conditions of employment had been altered and the environment was hostile and abusive, and which no such reasonable person could be expected to endure."
Montgomery Township did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment.
The lawsuit claims Clifford was caused to suffer, and has continued to suffer, undue stress and injury as well as substantial economic and financial loss relating from his promotional bypasses.
As a result, Clifford is seeking a judgment in an amount to be determined at trial, including an award of compensatory and consequential damages, all remedies, punitive damages, and attorney fees.
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