Mendham Councilman's Lawsuit Against Morris Twp. Set for Mediation

A Morris Township police sergeant who filed suit against his department for age discrimination will have his claim go to mediation.

According to a report at dailyrecord.com, Sgt. Stanley Witczak III will have his lawsuit against the township, police department, and committee members Bruce Sisler and H. Scott Rosenbush go to non-binding mediation which is scheduled to begin this summer.

Witczak, who also serves as a Mendham councilman, says he was referred to as a “dinosaur” by supervisors and claims he was passed over for a promotion to lieutenant after arresting a well-liked Morris County resident.

Witczak has been a sergeant since 2004, and joined Morris Township’s police department in 1984. He arrested Richard Smith and charged him with driving while intoxicated in 2012. Smith was the grand marshal of the Morris County St. Patrick’s Day Parade that year, the report said.

The lawsuit seeks compensation for emotional distress, damages to Witczak’s reputation and career development, and punitive damages for the township’s alleged age discrimination, the report said. The lawsuit also calls for the rescinding of two promotions of other officers to lieutenant and the promotion of Witczak to the position as of June 2011.