Ex-Cranford Cop, Current School Board Candidate, Abused Woman: Lawsuit

CRANFORD, NJ — A 2014 lawsuit against former Cranford Police Officer and current candidate for Board of Education Brian Lopez obtained by Patch accuses him of abusing a woman after she was arrested by police in 2012.

The lawsuit filed by a Cranford woman accuses Lopez of threatening to strip search her and brutally beating her in February 2012. According to reports and the Cranford Police Department, the lawsuit ended in a large settlement for the woman in 2015.

Lopez did not respond to Patch's request for a comment before publication, but said afterwards he would be in touch.

The lawsuit was also filed against the Cranford Police Department, the Township of Cranford and Officer Thomas Stiansen who allegedly witnessed the abuse.

According to the lawsuit, the woman was on the front porch of her mother-in-law's residence in Cranford when she was approached by officers on Feb. 20, 2012.

Two weeks before this incident, the woman had been arrested by Cranford Police in a domestic violence incident, and while she was in custody, the lawsuit states that Lopez "crudely threatened that he was going to strip search her."

The lawsuit states that when Lopez moved toward her on Feb. 20, she requested that he not touch her.

Lopez reacted by grabbing her by the throat and "slamming her up against the residence," the lawsuit states. Still holding her by the throat, Lopez pulled her away from the wall and "slammed her violently to the ground backwards," the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit accuses Lopez of violating the woman's right to be protected against unreasonable seizure, as granted in the New Jersey State Constitution. The lawsuit notes the woman to suffer injuries in or about her head, limbs and body.

The lawsuit demanded compensatory and punitive damages.

Cranford's Public Information Officer Matthew Nazzarro directed Patch to Chief Ryan Greco for a comment. When Patch called the department, an assistant said to email Greco. The Cranford Police Department, like most, do not discuss personnel matters.

Greco declined to comment on the litigation involving Lopez. He did, however, send out a release after the story was published, criticizing it for not investigating the veracity of the allegations.

"Cranford Patch Staff painted a one-sided, sordid picture of police brutality, violations of civil rights, and malfeasance of other officers. Again, none of these allegations were corroborated by police reports, on-scene witness statements or facts of this incident," Greco said. "Furthermore, no internal affairs complaints were lodged against any officers involved in the arrest that preceded this lawsuit."

Patch was informed that the matter was settled out of court in 2015 with Cranford paying the victim a "significant amount of money" contingent on a nondisclosure agreement. Court records noted that the settlement was not an admission of guilt.

Greco also noted to Patch that often times a "Joint Insurance Fund will do a cost benefit analysis regarding lawsuits against municipalities."

Lopez previously ran for Board of Education in 2019. Cranford Police announced Lopez's retirement from the department in May of 2018 and congratulated him on 24 years of service.