News & Notes: Princeton police officer settles wrongful termination suit with town

A Princeton Police officer will receive a settlement of $87,500 to end his suit alleging retaliation by the police department for his whistle-blowing, courts decided this week, according to the Princeton Packet. The municipality itself is responsible for $33,500 of this settlement.

The suit was filed in September 2011 by Police Sergeant Kenneth Riley, who alleged wrongful termination by the Borough Police Department.

The municipality’s insurance carrier, Municipal Express Liability Joint Insurance Fund, settled the case on the town’s behalf, municipal attorney Edwin Schmierer told the Princeton Packet. The insurance fund will pay the first $20,000 of the settlement, then 20 percent of the remaining balance.

Riley’s legal battles with the town began in 2008, when he reported that a fellow sergeant had illegally permitted a suspected drunken driver to urinate in public. After presenting police video footage of the incident to other members of the police department, he was suspended. Riley then sued for wrongful termination and was rehired, with a compensation package of around $400,000 in backpay and legal fees.

The current suit began in September 2011, when Riley alleged retaliation against the department for his previous reporting of the incident.