SOUTH PLAINFIELD – A borough police captain's whistleblower lawsuit alleging misconduct by Chief James Parker is headed to mediation.
The Middlesex Vicinage Civil Division on Aug. 4 ordered the parties and attorneys to participate in mediation in good faith and with a sense of urgency, or face costs and other consequences.
And while an employment law attorney from the Wilentz, Goldman and Spitzer law firm in Woodbridge was designated as the mediator, the parties have 14 days to select their own. If a new mediator is not selected, a conference call is to be held within 35 days of the order to explain the process and set ground rules.
"This program is in direct response to public concerns that litigation is too often an extremely costly and protracted means to resolve disputes,” the court order states “Although most cases settle, it is only after the expenditure of substantial fees and after long delays. All indications are that early mediation – a process that brings parties together in search of a mutually beneficial resolution, aided by a trained, neutral facilitator – can resolve most cases quickly, fairly and at reduced costs, producing client satisfaction.”
Last year longtime South Plainfield Police Capt. Charles Siedenburg filed suit accusing Parker of engaging in sexual acts with several female police department and borough employees, including a former police dispatcher, while on duty and at a security detail at a borough movie theater.
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