VILLAS – At a Nov. 1, 2021, Lower Township Council meeting, the last item on the consent agenda was authorization for “settlement of certain litigation.” That settlement involved the payment of $130,000 to Kaitlin Black and her attorneys.
Black, a detective in the Lower Township Police Department, filed the litigation against the municipality and then-Chief of Police Bill Mastriana March 17, 2020.
Black alleged that Mastriana and the municipality failed to prevent workplace discrimination against her due to her gender and had not prevented the creation of a hostile work environment.
As the litigation moved into discovery, no evidence surfaced that linked Mastriana to the issues Black alleged in her complaint. Mastriana was removed from the litigation prior to the settlement agreement.
Black first joined the department in 2013, the same year that Mastriana became chief of police. Black was a seven-year veteran of the Cape May Beach Patrol before joining the police department.
When Black was sworn in by then-Mayor Michael Beck, she became only the second full-time female police officer in the department’s history.
The complaint filed in Superior Court alleges that beginning in 2015, she was repeatedly passed over for promotion in favor of less-qualified men. She also claims that she was groped by a training instructor and told she was overreacting when she reported it to her superiors.
Black’s complaint chronicles two pregnancies while she was a member of the department, stating that she suffered derogatory comments about being on light duty, lost training opportunities, and received an alert for “abuse of sick time” when she was receiving prenatal care.
Black reached the settlement agreement October 19, 2021. It was ratified at the Nov. 1 council meeting. Black will receive $78,000 of the settlement, with $52,000, or 40%, going to her attorneys.
A check of municipal records in February showed that Black continues her employment in the police department and has been moved into a position in the investigations unit, where she is listed as a detective, with a base salary of $73,478. Mastriana retired as chief of police as of Dec. 31, 2020.
The settlement contains a non-disparagement clause, which prevents either party to the settlement from making negative or defamatory comments about the other party. The municipality admitted no liability and the settlement is made for the sole purpose of terminating the litigation rather than incurring the costs of its continuation. The resolution states that the municipality settled the litigation at the advice of its insurance carriers.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.
