Title: Pritchett v. New Jersey

State: new-jersey

Issuer: New Jersey Supreme Court

Document:

SYLLABUS

This syllabus is not part of the Court’s opinion. It has been prepared by the Office of the
Clerk for the convenience of the reader. It has been neither reviewed nor approved by the
Court. In the interest of brevity, portions of an opinion may not have been summarized.

                       Shelley Pritchett v. State (A-5-20) (084451)

Argued March 1, 2021 -- Decided August 12, 2021

LaVECCHIA, J., writing for a unanimous Court.

      In this appeal, the Court considers the standards to be applied by a trial court when
reviewing a jury award of punitive damages against a public entity.

        Plaintiff Shelly Pritchett worked for the Juvenile Justice Center (JJC), which runs
the state’s juvenile correctional facilities. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
When her second request for unpaid leave was denied, her supervisor refused to explain
the denial or put the denial in writing. On November 1, 2011, Pritchett learned that she
would be subject to disciplinary proceedings -- which would result in her termination
without a pension -- if she did not resign by the end of the week. Pritchett applied for
retirement disability benefits on November 4. Weeks later, her union representative
informed the JJC that Pritchett believed she was forced into retirement against her will.
The JJC’s Equal Opportunity Office expressed its opinion that the JJC “failed to engage
in the interactive process,” which “resulted in a violation of the State Anti-Discrimination
Policy,” but opined that Pritchett’s “request for reinstatement [was] mooted by [her]
approval for disability retirement.”

       Pritchett filed a complaint alleging the State violated the New Jersey Law Against
Discrimination (LAD). The jury awarded Pritchett compensatory damages in excess of
$1.8 million and punitive damages of $10 million, and the State challenged the punitive
damages award. The trial court determined that the punitive damages amount was high
but that no miscarriage of justice occurred. The Appellate Division affirmed in large part
but remanded for reconsideration of the punitive damages award, calling upon the trial
court to consider the factors discussed in Baker v. National State Bank,  161 N.J. 220
(1999), and BMW of North America, Inc. v. Gore,