The New Jersey Supreme Court considered whether an employee’s claim that her subordinate’s gender bias influenced her employer’s decision to terminate her, in violation of the Law Against Discrimination (LAD), was sufficient to proceed to trial. Plaintiff filed a complaint asserting that the Council released her based on her gender in violation of the LAD. Specifically, Plaintiff alleged that the Township of Livingston Council terminated her and replaced her with a male manager “to appease the sexist male Police Chief.” The trial court granted Defendant’s motion for summary judgment, finding that Defendant terminated Plaintiff for poor work performance and that the record revealed no gender discrimination in her termination. The Appellate Division affirmed. The Supreme Court reversed and held that sufficient evidence was present for a reasonable jury to find that what Council members perceived to be the Police Chief’s discriminatory attitude toward Plaintiff influenced the Council’s decision to terminate her, in violation of the LAD.
