A recently filed lawsuit highlights issues of workplace privacy, discrimination, and corporate governance within a state regulatory board. According to a claim filed by Amanda Glenn, the New Jersey Board of Tree Experts subjected her to unauthorized surveillance, discriminatory behavior, and various forms of retaliation.
Ms. Glenn alleges that she was formerly a program manager for the New Jersey Board of Tree Experts, an agency that falls under the oversight of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and which is tasked with regulating tree care practices across the state. Hired by the board in March 2023, Ms. Glenn alleges that her problems at the agency began shortly after she was hired when, as a 30-year-old Black woman, she was subjected to racially insensitive remarks from two white administrative assistants who had reportedly been on the board’s staff for approximately 30 years.
Ms. Glenn alleges that she raised concerns about comments the women made about Hispanic license applicants and non-English speakers, as well as about their refusal to comply with procedures that she had created. The suit alleges that they refused to comply with the procedures she’d created or to work on tasks she’d assigned, and that during a group discussion, they had “openly and loudly announced that ‘Amanda Glenn is too young to qualify as a manager,’ and that ‘it will never work out with her being the manager.’ Despite her previous management experience and position, they publicly pronounced their refusal to change their negative behaviors.
The suit alleges that in October 2023, a colleague confided to Ms. Glenn that a security camera had been installed in the office to monitor her work. Upon investigation, she found a Ring camera camouflaged with tape and positioned on her desk within the office space that she shared with two other employees. It had initially been hidden behind a computer but was later relocated to a spot on a cabinet that offered a better view of her desk and that of another employee.
In her lawsuit, Ms. Glenn asserts that she had never consented to being surveilled and had not been notified of the presence of the camera by the board. She also notes that when confronted with the presence of the camera, the board’s management claimed they’d been installed to monitor Alcoholics Anonymous meetings that were held in the office – a practice that Ms. Glenn points out is illegal.
Ms. Glenn argues that the camera monitored her as she conducted both sensitive job-related tasks and personal activities. She also accuses them of retaliation in response to her complaints about the administrative staff’s racial remarks and the camera itself. Among the retaliatory actions were a restriction of her remote work privileges, a reduction in her hours, and public criticism of her in staff emails.
Her lawsuit accuses the board of creating a hostile work environment in violation of New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination, as well as violating the state’s Conscientious Employee Protection Act. She is seeking damages for emotional distress, lost wages, and punitive compensation.
If you are confronted with a hostile work environment that violates your privacy or is discriminatory, you need to know your rights. The experienced employment attorneys at Schorr and Associates are here to help. Contact us today to set up a time to discuss your situation and the options available to you.