First Female Cop In Morris Plains Sues Borough Over Alleged Discrimination

MORRIS PLAINS, NJ — A female officer in the Morris Plains Police Department has sued the borough, claiming she was discriminated against and overlooked for promotions due to her gender, which created a hostile work environment.

The officer who filed the lawsuit, Anne Marie Ferris, submitted her case on Sept. 6 in state Superior Court in Morris County. She is suing the Borough of Morris Plains, along with several John and Jane Does and an unnamed corporation.

Ferris, who has been employed with the borough since 2015, was Morris Plains' first female police officer.

In her lawsuit, Ferris claims she faced discrimination, harassment, and an "abusive" work environment due to her gender. She also accuses the department, including the police chief, of fostering a culture that promotes bias against women in law enforcement.

Ferris cites various violations of New Jersey's Law Against Discrimination, which safeguards employees from discrimination in all areas of employment, including promotions, compensation, recruitment and job postings.

Ferris claims the alleged discrimination began in 2015, shortly after her hiring.

In her suit, Ferris details how none of the male officers were willing to train her, resulting in Lieutenant Michael Rolph being assigned as her field training officer (FTO). Since then, both supervisors and officers have persistently accused her of having an inappropriate relationship with the retired Lieutenant Rolph.

For example, over the years, multiple comments were made to both Rolph and Ferris, suggesting that he "treated [her] differently" and implying that "something inappropriate" must be occurring due to their rapport and her gender.

Ferris asserts that despite her inquiries about why her colleagues would make such statements or hold such beliefs, no action was taken to address or stop the biased and demeaning comments, even during a minor internal affairs investigation.

The department's alleged misconduct continued when Ferris was repeatedly ignored despite asking for years to be assigned training to become an FTO so she could help train incoming officers.

Despite her repeated attempts, Ferris’s efforts were allegedly unsuccessful, leading her to become discouraged and stop asking. This issue became significant when Morris Plains Police Chief Michael Koroski created a promotion list in September 2023.

According to the suit, Ferris was ranked lower because she had "declined the opportunity to become FTO," despite her years of requesting such training.

Ferris states that she asked Koroski to clarify when she had declined the opportunity, but he was unable to provide an answer.

The lawsuit also highlights ongoing gender-based discrimination. For instance, at a PBA Local 256 Christmas party one year, a higher-ranking officer asked her, "Whose girlfriend are you?" This comment suggested he did not recognize her as a police officer, despite their status as colleagues, the lawsuit states.

Additionally, Ferris reported that while on duty, the same officer avoided speaking with her directly. Instead, he would inform patrol officers junior to her about his whereabouts.

For instance, when Ferris was serving as PBA President, he would have other officers relay information to her about his absence from PBA meetings rather than notifying her directly.

In 2019, Ferris reported that her supervisor had informed her that Koroski had called him into his office and questioned him about the amount of time Ferris spent in the restroom at headquarters. According to the lawsuit, when her supervisor asked Koroski where else Ferris was supposed to use the restroom, he received no response.

That same year, during a conversation with Koroski, he questioned her once again about her relationship with her FTO, which made her feel as though she was being accused of something inappropriate. In this discussion, she informed the chief that she felt she was working in a hostile environment, describing the toxic culture and the mistreatment she experienced from other employees.

She described several instances of hostility, including overhearing officers making jokes that would abruptly stop when she entered the room. She also noted that peers who were friendly with her or associated with her faced retaliation, which isolated her further from her coworkers, who feared being accused of having an "inappropriate" relationship with her.

Despite policy requiring that such complaints be addressed, Ferris claimed that none of her concerns were followed up on or taken seriously.

To read the full complaint, click here.

In 2023, Ferris applied for a sergeant position. According to the lawsuit, her resume included numerous awards, such as the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Award, and highlighted her community policing efforts, involvement in youth programs, and experience as an instructor at the Morris Academy.

Despite her qualifications and accomplishments, the position was ultimately awarded to another officer who had the same amount of time on the job, the suit states.

After the announcement, the chief allegedly informed Ferris that he would keep his scores and recommendations private, despite having previously promised transparency in the promotion process.

When Ferris inquired about the promotional list, another officer told her that Koroski had spoken with John Horan, Esq., the township attorney, earlier that day, and that he had advised Koroski that the scores from the council had not yet been submitted, the suit states.

In her suit, Ferris argues that her concern with the timeline of events, stating that the promotional announcement had already been made, revealing the new sergeant, in a memo dated approximately Sept. 8, 2023, when the final scores were still outstanding or in question.

Ferris also argues that after discussing the departmental interviews with several male peers, it seemed to her that the other officers were asked different questions compared to those she was asked.

On Sept. 18, 2023, Koroski ultimately posted the rankings of candidates for promotion to sergeant, which indicated that Ferris was ranked number one on the list, the suit states. Despite this, she did not receive the promotion.

In a subsequent meeting with the chief, he reportedly acknowledged to Ferris that she had been discriminated against, admitting that he was aware of an officer who had shown bias towards her due to her previous actions and gender, though he recognized that such bias should not have been held against her.

Later that same day, Koroski allegedly approached Ferris and expressed dissatisfaction with how their conversation had ended, sharing that he understood her feelings because he had personally experienced discrimination, having been passed over for promotion twice.

A couple of days later, Ferris filed a formal complaint with the borough, requesting that the mayor and council oversee an appeal of the sergeant promotion decision and that the chief recuse himself from the process due to his history. She also asked for an investigation to be conducted and for action to be taken to address the ongoing discrimination and hostile work environment.

Initially, her complaint was forwarded to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office for investigation, the lawsuit read. However, she was later informed that the prosecutor's office had referred her complaint back to the borough for review.

In January, with the help of her union, Ferris filed a grievance about her promotional appeal after discovering that it was being reviewed by a lower-ranked officer who had also been involved in the promotional interviews that fall.

The PBA had requested that the appeal instead needed to be handled by the Personnel Director or another appropriate individual outside of the police department.

In March, the borough brought in a third-party human resources specialist to investigate Ferris' allegations against the chief. By July, Ferris was informed that the borough, following the specialist's report, had decided not to pursue disciplinary action against him.

"Please be advised that based upon the Enform HR report and its findings, the Borough has elected not to pursue any disciplinary action against Chief Koroski, and further believes that no disciplinary action is warranted. Accordingly, the Borough considers the matter to be closed," the suit states.

Despite this, in her suit, Ferris stated that she is seeking instatement to the rank of sergeant, including the associated pay, seniority and pension benefits, as well as any additional compensation the court deems appropriate.

The Morris Plains Police Department did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment on the matter.