Harassment complaint, workers’ compensation claim are settled

By Bob Fleming

MARLBORO — Township officials have reached an out-of-court settlement to resolve a workers’ compensation claim and a pending sexual harassment complaint filed by the supervisor of police records.

According to Joseph Orlando, township business administrator, the settlement brings to a close the workers’ compensation claim filed by Patricia Vacchiano, a 12-year employee of the police department, in 1998 and a sexual harassment complaint she filed in 1999.

The sexual harassment complaint, which alleged Vacchiano was the subject of such action during the course of her employment, was filed with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commis-sion.

Orlando declined to discuss details of that complaint, citing personnel matters, and said the settlement effectively ends the dispute between the parties.

Vacchiano, who is currently serving as supervisor of police records, spent most of her tenure in the police department as senior police records clerk before seeking a promotion to the newly created position of supervisor of police records in 1998.

She was assigned the new position without a change in salary in October 1998. The workers’ compensation claim and the sexual harassment complaint followed her change in duties, township officials said.

The settlement and general release was signed by Vacchiano and representatives of the township, the Township Council, the Marlboro Police Department, the Mon-mouth County Joint Insurance Fund (JIF) and the Municipal Excess Liability Fund (MEL).

Under the terms of the agreement, the parties named in the claim and the complaint will pay Vacchiano $250,000 as full settlement on these matters. Of that amount, $75,000 will be paid in settlement of the workers’ compensation claim. The remainder of the total, $175,000, will be paid to Vacchiano within 30 days of the execution of the settlement agreement by all the parties.

Vacchiano will be compensated for all earned personal, sick and vacation days as well as compensatory time earned by her prior to Oct. 1, 1998, and deducted from her salary since then, as well as for all such time earned and accrued since then, up to the date of the signing of the agreement.

The agreement stipulates Vacchiano’s annual salary will be increased from $28,800 to $36,000, retroactive to Oct. 1, 1998. In consideration for this provision, she agreed to apply for disability retirement. If disability retirement is not approved by the state Division of Pensions and Benefits within six months, she will resign from her employment with Marl-boro, which will be accepted by municipal officials in good standing.

"It’s always better to attempt to resolve a dispute without facing the uncertainty of litigation," Orlando said. "There’s no admission of guilt or wrongdoing by either party in a settlement such as this one."

Vacchiano was represented by attorney Cathleen J. Christie, of Wall Township. Several messages left by the News Transcript were not returned.