Judge Dismisses Retaliation / Defamation Suit Filed by New Jersey Officer

A judge has dismissed a retaliation and defamation lawsuit filed by a former New Jersey police officer who was fired following his arrest of State Assemblyman Paul Moriarty in 2012, according to NJ.com .

Joseph DiBuonaventura sued Washington Township, former police chief Rafael Muniz, and former township administrator Robert Smith, arguing the chief violated his rights under the state Conscientious Employee Protection Act and that Smith had defamed him in comments to the media.

DiBuonaventura was fired from his position as a Washington Township police officer in 2016 after an internal affairs investigation concluded that he lied about his reasons for stopping Moriarty and charging him with driving while intoxicated.

The DWI charge against Moriarty was dismissed after the county prosecutor's office reviewed the incident.

Moriarty filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against DiBuonaventura and that case was settled in 2016 by the Tri-County Joint Insurance Fund, which insures Washington Township employees.