Dear Editor:
This past February a former Youth House employee won a lawsuit against Hudson County for claims that he was wrongfully terminated for being a “whistleblower”. By a unanimous jury verdict, he was awarded $406,000. The matter is now being appealed by the County. Ironically, Hudson County recently settled a lawsuit filed by another former employee who claimed he, too, was wrongfully terminated. Hudson County agreed to settle his suit for $293,000.
With today’s struggling economy, taxpayers continue to bear the burden of paying the costs of lawsuits that the County Counsel fails to handle properly. Many claims filed against the County could be resolved without having to incur such high legal fees and court costs. But, evidently, the County Counsel’s Office has a different agenda. They prefer to drag out these suits, and hire inexperienced outside attorneys (or should we say “friends”) to milk the County’s budget. Even when the claims are justified and the litigants are awarded damages, the County will file costly appeals rather than settle. Why should they be concerned about any added costs? After all, these attorneys get paid regardless of the outcome, and their “friends” can charge high legal fees for unnecessary services. Meanwhile, the offenders that cause these lawsuits keep their jobs and continue collecting their County salaries and pensions.
It seems like everyone, except those being wrongfully terminated, is getting paid!
Signed,
Disgusted
Jersey City