Judge denies City’s latest attempt to dismiss Sheilah Coley’s lawsuit
A lawsuit filed by former Trenton Police Director Sheilah A. Coley against the City of Trenton, Mayor W. Reed Gusciora, and former City Councilman George Muschal remains active after a Superior Court judge denied the defendants’ latest attempt to dismiss the case.
The decision, issued October 23 by Mercer County Superior Court Judge Douglas H. Hurd, rejected a request from attorneys representing the City and Gusciora to reconsider an earlier ruling that allowed portions of Coley’s lawsuit to proceed.
The defendants had asked the judge to reverse his September 24 decision and dismiss Coley’s complaint in its entirety. Hurd denied the motion and the opposing cross-motion, according to the court order.
The ruling comes as Hurd has been hearing the case this week in Mercer County Superior Court, marking another development in a legal dispute that dates back to Coley’s departure from the Trenton Police Department in 2021.
The latest decision does not find the defendants liable or prove Coley’s allegations. It does, however, mean the defendants have not succeeded in getting the remaining claims thrown out before trial.
Dispute began with Coley’s 2021 termination
Coley’s lawsuit stems from her tenure as Trenton’s police director and her eventual removal by the Gusciora administration.
Appointed in 2019, Coley brought years of law enforcement experience to the position, having previously served with the Newark Police Department and as public safety director in East Orange.
In June 2021, Gusciora announced that Coley was being terminated, effective immediately. The City Council subsequently voted 6-1 to uphold the decision.
Coley challenged the circumstances surrounding her removal, alleging that her termination was connected to racial and gender discrimination and retaliation.
According to the allegations outlined in her lawsuit, Gusciora pressured her to accommodate requests from Muschal, a former police officer and councilman, involving preferential treatment for white members of the police department.
Coley alleges that some of the requested accommodations would have required her to overlook violations of departmental rules, regulations, and public policy. She maintains that her refusal to comply with those requests contributed to the breakdown of her relationship with city leadership and ultimately her termination.
The lawsuit names the City, Gusciora, and Muschal as defendants. Gusciora and Muschal are named in both their personal and official capacities.
The defendants have contested the lawsuit, and the allegations remain subject to the court process.
What the latest ruling means
The October 23 order addresses the defendants’ effort to revisit a September 24 ruling on their motion for summary judgment.
Summary judgment is a legal procedure that allows a judge to decide certain claims without a trial when no genuine disputes of material fact require a jury or further proceedings.
When Hurd partially denied the defendants’ September motion, portions of the lawsuit remained active. The City and Gusciora subsequently sought reconsideration, asking the judge to dismiss Coley’s entire complaint.
Hurd’s October 23 order rejected that request.
For Coley, the decision means her lawsuit has survived another effort by the defendants to end the litigation before trial. For the City and the other defendants, it means the legal dispute continues.
The court order does not provide a detailed explanation of the judge’s reasoning, instead referring to statements made on the record during oral arguments.
As proceedings continue this week, the case remains one to watch for Trenton residents, particularly given the allegations involving the city’s political leadership and the administration of its police department.
Trenton Journal will continue following the proceedings and reporting on developments in the case.
