A group of female Howell employees will share in a $1.3 million settlement of a harassment suit against former Howell Municipal Court Administrator Dominick Pondaco.
“The plaintiffs feel vindicated,” said attorney Rosemarie Arnold, of Fort Lee, who represented the women. “It feels good to not only have them feel vindicated for the unprofessional outbursts they were forced to endure and be believed, but to be able to be compensated for their damages as well.”
Arnold said the $1.3 million settlement was reached outside of court and will be split equally between Angela Martino, Donna Ennas, Donna Belton and Lucy Ravally.
The money to be paid to the plaintiffs will be covered entirely by insurance, according to Township Attorney McKenna Kingdon.
Pondaco has since retired from his position in Howell and three of the four employees have returned to work, with the exception of Ravally, who retired in 2010, according to Kingdon.
Attorney Thomas Hanrahan, who represented Pondaco, and attorney Lori Dvorak, who represented the township, could not be reached for comment.
The women filed the lawsuit in September 2012 in state Superior Court, Freehold. They claimed Pondaco allegedly engaged in a “severe and pervasive pattern” of harassment that caused a hostile work environment for them.
The plaintiffs claimed Pondaco called them “monkeys” on more than one occasion and made derogatory remarks related to their age, sex and religion. The women claimed Pondaco’s actions caused them pain, suffering and health issues.
The complaint alleged Pondaco became angry with one employee for becoming pregnant and taking maternity leave. Pondaco allegedly forced another employee to drive him to work on a daily basis, according to the complaint.
The Howell Municipal Court failed to have or implement any “well-publicized procedural mechanism through which an anti-sexual orientation discrimination policy could be enforced,” according to the complaint. The complaint stated that the township and the court should have been aware of conduct that could be considered harassment.
The women brought the complaint to the attention of the Howell Police Department in 2010. An investigation ensued and Pondaco was placed on administrative leave.
According to the complaint, the township allegedly called for the women to jump through unreasonable hoops during the investigation. Eventually, the township allegedly retaliated against the women by calling off the investigation, returning Pondaco to his position and transferring the women to different departments, according to the complaint.
The complaint claimed the transfer to different positions caused further emotional distress, as well as economic losses including, but not limited to, wages and overtime.
Contact Greg Kennelty at [email protected].