The state Supreme Court — in its first consideration of the New Jersey Pregnant Workers Fairness Act — ruled Tuesday that the Ocean Township Police Department discriminated against a pregnant police officer who was forced to cut short her light-duty assignment and use up her paid leave time prior to giving birth.
The high court’s ruling in a lawsuit brought by Officer Kathleen J. Delanoy against Ocean Township said the police department’s different standard operating procedures covering light-duty assignments for pregnant officers and injured officers discriminated against Delanoy by requiring her to use all of her accumulated paid leave to qualify for a light-duty assignment while pregnant. Under the policy covering injured officers, the police chief could and did on at least two occasions waive the requirement to use up accumulated paid leave time, according to the court’s decision. READ MORE >>
By Kathleen Hopkins, Asbury Park Press
Originally Published in Asbury Park Press on March 10, 2021