WALL TOWNSHIP — A former employee is suing Wall Township, alleging that “sex-based inappropriate comments” were made to her, as well as in her presence, by township Business Administrator Jeff Bertrand.
A legal complaint filed by former assistant township administrator Kathleen Kohri in District Court on Oct. 7 makes a Title VII sexual discrimination claim against the township.
Ms. Kohri, who is represented by Katherine C. Oeltjen of Console Mattiacci Law LLC, seeks damages, including economic loss, compensatory and punitive damages, costs and attorney’s fees and all other relief that the court may deem appropriate.
Mr. Bertrand and Mayor Kevin Orender have declined to comment. Efforts to obtain comment from other individuals named in the complaint have also been unsuccessful.
Committeewoman Erin Mangan and Deputy Mayor Daniel Becht, who aren’t mentioned in the suit, were the only members of the current committee to respond as of press time.
“Discrimination, of any kind, will not be tolerated or accepted within our municipality. It is our obligation to ensure that a thorough investigation is completed,” said Ms. Mangan.
When asked by The Coast Star what a township employee should do when they feel discriminated against, Ms. Mangan said, “Any employee who feels they are being discriminated against, should immediately bring this matter to the attention of their Human Resources department.”
“I cannot comment on the specific allegations of the complaint since it has not been served upon the township. It will be a topic of discussion during this evening’s executive committee meeting,” said Deputy Mayor Becht on Wednesday.
“I am confident that collectively the township committee will thoroughly investigate the charges set forth in the complaint and if necessary, take swift and appropriate action. The township committee takes seriously its mandate to provide a safe and compliant work environment for all its employees,” he added.
Ms. Kohri’s legal complaint contains several alleged comments from Mr. Bertrand from the time of his hire in 2012, to Ms. Kohri’s last day of employment in 2021, when “Bertrand routinely made sex-based inappropriate comments in her presence/to her directly, often of a sexual nature.”
In one example included in the complaint, Mr. Bertrand is alleged to have said, “I always like to say – If you are in jail and Bubba’s going to rape you, don’t you at least want to pick the position?”
Some of the comments are said to have been made in front of other township officials who either ignored or did not take exception to them. Others are cited in instances where unnamed township employees also complained about them.
For example, the complaint states that on or about Feb. 28, 2018, in the context of discussing their mandatory obligations to report sexually harassing or discriminatory behavior, Mr. Bertrand told Ms. Kohri, “It’s like if Pamela Anderson worked here, hot Pamela Anderson like from her Baywatch years, and I walked into her office and she grabbed my crotch – I would like it. But, if I told you or my direct supervisor about it – you would have to do something about it, even though I really liked the fact that she grabbed my crotch.”
On or about November 23, 2020 in response to the needs of a breastfeeding employee, the complaint alleges that Mr. Bertrand said, “Should I roll out a red carpet in the designated space? Maybe we should pull up a reclining chair and bring in a fireplace.”
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