Stockton employee sues university over alleged whistleblowing retaliation

A Stockton University employee said she was demoted in retaliation for accusing Stockton’s president and executive vice president of using public funds for personal reasons.

The accusation is the basis of a lawsuit filed by Theresa Marinelli against Stockton and two of its top leaders. Marinelli, who worked as a budget assistant to Stockton President Joe Bertolino, said Bertolino approved the use of $18,000 in moving expenses for incoming Executive Vice President Terricita Sass.

In the lawsuit filed Monday, Marinelli accuses Bertolino and Sass of intentionally mislabeling the expenditure as a “project.” The lawsuit says moving expenses must be approved by the university’s Board of Trustees and accuses the pair of mislabeling the funds in an effort to circumvent that requirement.

Marinelli said she openly objected to the expenditure, after which the workplace became hostile. After requesting a transfer to a different department, Marinelli sent an email to Stockton’s Board of Trustees detailing her objections to the $18,000 expenditure.

The lawsuit alleges the Board then approved the moving funds “to avoid public scrutiny of their misuse of public funds,” and the university placed her on paid administrative leave. She alleges that when she returned to work, the university reassigned her from the main campus to a location in Manahawkin, adding more than an hour to her commute.

A Stockton spokesperson said the university cannot comment on pending litigation.

The lawsuit argues Stockton officials violated the Conscientious Employee Protection Act, which protects employees from retaliation after reporting violations of the law. Marinelli is demanding damages and attorneys’ fees.

This article was updated at 12:53 p.m.