Racial Discrimination Suit Filed Against Morris Co. Prosecutor

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Two black detectives in the Morris County Prosecutor's Office have filed a discrimination suit against Prosecutor Fredric Knapp, alleging that they were passed over for promotions because of their race.

Harrison Dillard, of Hunterdon County, and Aaron King, of Morris County, claim in the suit that they were subjected to "racially discriminatory hostile work environment" in the Prosecutor's Office. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District County in Newark on Thursday. The Prosecutor's office has denied all the claims.

Knapp was appointed to the position by then-Gov. Chris Christie in 2014, and that was when the alleged discrimination began, the suit says. Employees from minority groups were frequently targeted by poor performance reviews and were placed more frequently in non-tactical positions and subject to punitive transfers, which employees called "the land of misfit toys," the suit says.

The suit claims that those poor performance reviews were used to purposefully pass over members of racial minority groups for promotions within the department.

In addition to purposefully not promoting minorities, the lawsuit alleges that coworkers also fostered a racially charged environment. One example detailed in the suit says that a fellow employee showed King an arrest photo of a black man, and said to King, "It's like looking in the mirror, isn't it?"

Dillard also encountered racist remarks from coworkers, the suit says, including remarks by co-workers who called minorities "scum" and "those people" that they would never want to be around.

The Prosecutor's Office has denied the claims levied against the office, Knapp, and seven other members of the office named in the suit.

"The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office denies all of the allegations made by these plaintiffs. We look forward to litigating these specious claims before the Court," Meghan Knap, a spokesperson for the Prosecutor's Office, said in a statement sent to Patch. "We cannot respond to any of these statements outside of the courtroom in accordance with the Rules of Professional Conduct. The case is without merit and will be vigorously defended."

The alleged racial discrimination culminated in King attempting to resign on Oct. 15, two days before the suit was filed, but was told it would not be accepted due to pending disciplinary actions, the suit says.

King and Dillard are seeking damages, including compensatory damages, interest, punitive damages and attorney fees.