Defamation charges included in a whistleblower lawsuit brought by a former top New Jersey health official against the Murphy administration have been dismissed.
Former Health Department Assistant Commissioner Christopher Neuwirth had alleged that the Murphy administration lied about why he was fired to hide the fact that Chief of Staff George Helmy wanted COVID-19 tests for his family in the early days of the pandemic.
A panel of three appellate judges said Neuwirth didn’t prove that there was “actual malice” when trying to show that Gov. Phil Murphy knowingly made false statements around the circumstances of his firing.
In the suit, Neuwirth alleged that he was fired in May 2020 for raising ethical concerns about a request to send someone to the home of one of Helmy’s relatives to perform a COVID-19 test in April 2020.
The administration denied that allegation but hasn't said in court why he was fired. In public and in news reports, though, Murphy and Platkin suggested Neuwirth improperly held a second job.
When asked about Neuwirth’s firing at a press briefing in May 2020, Murphy said he had “no comment on Chris's situation” but that “folks are not — it's par for the course that you're not supposed to have another source of income. That's just as a general matter. We'll leave it there.”
Earlier:Gov. Murphy could face deposition in whistleblower lawsuit by fired health official
Neuwirth’s attorney, Christopher Eibeler, and a spokesperson for the governor’s office both...
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