- ANNA-MARIA OBIEDZINSKI VS. TOWNSHIP OF TEWKSBURY, ET AL. (L-0391-20, HUNTERDON COUNTY AND STATEWIDE) A-2426-22 Appellate Nov. 20, 2024 Summary A-2426-22 Plaintiff has served as the Tax Assessor for defendant Township of Tewksbury for many years. After a series of disagreements among the parties regarding plaintiff's assessments and her other work duties, Tewksbury attempted to remove plaintiff from her position. Plaintiff filed a complaint in the Superior Court, alleging that defendants retaliated against her in violation of the Conscientious Employee Protection Act (CEPA), N.J.S.A. 34:19-1 to -14, from 2008 to 2019 for objecting to their attempts to unlawfully influence her assessment determinations and operate a "tax scheme." Defendants moved for summary judgment, asserting plaintiff could not establish a CEPA cause of action because she was not an "employee" under the statute entitled to CEPA protection. The trial court granted the motion, relying on Casamasino v. Jersey City , 304 N.J. Super. 226 (App. Div. 1997), rev'd on other grounds , 158 N.J. 333 (1999), and found that, as a tenured and statutorily protected tax assessor, plaintiff is not an "employee" under CEPA. After a careful review, we conclude that Casamasino does not establish a bright line rule that all tax assessors are exempt from CEPA protection. Despite the unique position a tax assessor holds because of the statutory protection from removal from employment, a court determining the applicability of CEPA should still assess the employment relationship under the framework established in Feldman v. Hunterdon Radiological Assocs. , 187 N.J. 228 (2006), and D'Annunzio v. Prudential Ins. Co. of Am. , 192 N.J. 110 (2007). See also Lippman v. Ethicon, Inc. , 222 N.J. 362 (2015). The court vacated the order granting summary judgment and remanded for the consideration of the factors articulated in Feldman and D'Annunzio and a determination whether plaintiff is an employee entitled to CEPA protection. Close
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