A 52-year-old detective with the Essex County Prosecutor's Office has settled a whistleblower lawsuit for $115,000 after claiming he was branded a “union bitch” during contract negotiations and then subjected to years of retaliation for speaking up. Antonio Rua, who was vice president of PBA 325 in June 2018, alleged that raising concerns about the union's collective bargaining agreement and departmental policy violations set off a cascade of punishment that upended his career.
A Settlement Years in the Making
According to court records cited by NJ.com, the settlement was reached over the summer of 2026 and formally signed on August 25, 2026. Rua claimed in court papers that his bosses disbanded his unit, changed his hours and denied him overtime after he raised the collective bargaining and policy concerns in June 2018. He also said administrators launched what he described as a campaign of harassment, intimidation and retaliation, and threatened further retaliation if he did not stop complaining.
Rua's lawsuit alleged he was subjected to an internal affairs investigation he characterized as bogus, was required to write a daily log, and was ordered to follow a dress code that other detectives did not have to follow. The suit alleged a hostile work environment, negligent supervision, emotional distress and violations of New Jersey's Conscientious Employee Protection Act, the state's whistleblower statute, according to the same NJ.com report.
The ‘Union Bitch’ Text
Central to Rua's claims was an incident in August 2018, when he said he received a menacing text message from a Union County police officer during contract negotiations. The officer allegedly wrote, “I heard you are a union bitch,” and accused Rua of interfering with the administration. The lawsuit went further, alleging the text was sent with the consent of a chief administrator at the Essex County Prosecutor's Office — a claim that, per the dossier record, remains an allegation rather than an established fact.
An Essex County Prosecutor's Office spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication, the outlet's report noted.
One of Several Suits Against the Office
Rua's case is one of several lawsuits filed against the Essex County Prosecutor's Office over the past seven years, the report notes. A related account from October 2025 described a detective's whistleblower lawsuit alleging retaliation after he complained about unauthorized weapons and alcohol consumption in the workplace, according to a separate NJ.com report. And a January 2025 lawsuit described a toxic culture of alleged gender bias and retaliation by senior officials within the office, per that outlet's earlier coverage.
Other cited cases involving the office include a 2022 settlement of $130,000 in a whistleblower lawsuit brought by Christopher DiRocco, who had alleged retaliation over complaints about salary provisions and overtime pay. Separately, a homicide detective, Jason Gorto, filed a lawsuit alleging retaliation after reporting that a supervisor arrived late and expected subordinates to sign in for her, and said he later found a dead mouse under his desk after lodging complaints about department violations. Another detective, Anthony DeProspo, filed a lawsuit alleging he was punished for complaining about a senior detective carrying a personal 1911 Colt handgun at work and investigators drinking alcohol on the job. A separate suit from Aileen Clowes alleged sexual harassment and gender discrimination by male superiors, and claimed she was punished for raising concerns about workplace violations and misconduct.
How the Payout Compares
Whistleblower settlements involving New Jersey law enforcement agencies have varied widely in size. A Denville Township police sergeant settled a whistleblower lawsuit for $12,000 in April 2026, with terms that included his agreement to retire on February 1, 2027, and not seek employment with the township or its police department. Union County, meanwhile, agreed to pay $150,000 in a confidential settlement with a former prosecutor's office employee who alleged harassment and retaliation, according to Transparency NJ. On a far larger scale, the City of Newark agreed to pay $4 million to more than 190 former police cadets in a federal class-action settlement over unpaid overtime, as reported by Police1. These cases are not presented as directly comparable to Rua's, but they illustrate the range of outcomes in similar employment disputes across the state.
