Former Clark Police Officer Files 2nd Lawsuit Against Township

CLARK, NJ — Former Clark Police Officer Antonio Manata has filed a second lawsuit against the Township, arguing that officials in the town retaliated against him by not picking up his bulky waste and recycling items.

Manata's first lawsuit against the town became public after he turned in a secret recording of Mayor Sal Bonaccorso, the police chief and a supervisor in internal affairs using racist and sexist language. The township released a statement about the most recent lawsuit on Tuesday, in response to an NJ Tort Claim Notice.

After coming forward with the secret recording, in which town officials are heard referring to Black people as "shines," "spooks" and the N-word, Manata sued the Township in 2020 with claims that he was facing retaliation because of the recording he submitted.

This lawsuit ended in $400,000 settlement, which only recently became known after NJ.com conducted an investigation.

Read more: Clark Officials Paid $400K To Hide Racial Slurs Said By Mayor: Report

According to the Township, Manata claims in the most recent lawsuit that the Township retaliated against him again by missing his bulky and recycled waste pickups.

The Township stated, "Mr. Manata's bulky waste was accidentally missed which can happen on occasion and was addressed by our Department of Public Works. Regarding recycling collection, Clark Township had problems with a third-party vendor making pick-ups in the past. Mr. Manata was not the only resident affected."

Manata has also lodged multiple claims against other organizations, such as the City of Newark and more recently, the Union County Prosecutor's Office and the NJ Attorney General's Office, according to the Township.

In addition, the Township said Manata made claims about a statement Mayor Bonaccorso made at a meeting on April 4 of this year. Although the Township’s release did not say what the statement was, they said there is no evidence of the statement Manata asserts in the recordings.

Manata further made complains about procedural matters at the Clark Police Department, according to the Township.

However, the Township stated that it has no direct supervision over Clark Police Department's procedures and cannot comment on how matters were handled.

A large portion of Manata's lawsuit is directed at the Clark Township Attorney and his firm, the Township wrote, and the attorney will work independently to defend those assertions.

In Manata's previous lawsuit, he claimed that Union County prosecutors retaliated against him by seeking to block him from collecting his pension, according to NJ.com.

Mayor Bonaccorso later made a video message in which he apologized for the offensive language he used in the recording.

Read more: Clark Mayor Issues Video Apology For Offensive Language

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