CRANFORD, NJ — After a three-week trial, a Union County jury last week ruled unanimously that Cranford Township officials had discriminated against police Lt. Timothy O’Brien when he was not promoted to his current rank, despite six years of experience, denying him the promotion after he hosted a fundraiser for a mayoral candidate.
“What we proved was that Cranford’s office policy of discrimination occurred,” said O’Brien’s attorney, Frank Capece, of the firm of Garrubbo & Capece PC, in an interview with LocalSource on Friday, Jan. 2.
The jury ruled that O’Brien, who was then a sergeant, engaged in a constitutionally protected activity when he hosted the fundraiser.
Ryan Greco, who was the police chief of the Cranford Police Department three years ago when this incident occurred and who retired Dec. 1, 2024, was ruled to have intentionally retaliated against O’Brien. Greco’s conduct in acting pursuant to an expressly adopted official policy or a widespread or longstanding practice or custom of Cranford to not promote members of the minority party and/or in retaliation for the filing of a lawsuit approximately caused the claimed injury.
“When the chief would nominate people for a position … they wouldn’t put up the people they were nominating; only the person he selected,” said Capece.
This led to O’Brien suing the township in 2023 for denying his promotion from sergeant to lieutenant.
Cranford’s official policy or widespread or longstanding practice or custom of not promoting members of the minority party caused the deprivation of O’Brien’s rights by Geco and Brian Andrews, who was Cranford’s mayor from 2023 to 2025. He is currently Cranford’s commissioner of Public Works and Engineering until December 2026.
“The chief blackballed him,” said Capece. “They threw him off the Environmental Commission, all because his wife had a fundraiser.”
“During the trial, my argument to the jury was, if there’s a robbery going on, you want a decorated police officer,” Capece continued. “He’s the image of what you want in a cop.”
The township lead counsel had stated that O’Brien was not qualified to be lieutenant and offered an insulting $10,000 to settle the case, said Capece. Then, five days before the trial, they finally promoted O’Brien to lieutenant.
“They stopped the bleeding when they gave Tim the promotion to the job of lieutenant a week before the trial,” he said.
Cranford’s new mayor, Terrance Curran, charged he expected better for the community.
It was not proved by a preponderance of evidence that the plaintiff, O’Brien, was entitled to emotional distress damages from the defendants, Andrews and Greco.
“If we had gone for emotional distress, we would have had to send him to psychiatrists and made him out to be looney tunes,” said Capece. “So we didn’t go for that.”
Although originally seeking twice the amount, the court decided in its ruling that O’Brien was entitled to economic damages in the amount of $17,800.
“$17,800 is the difference in salary he would have gotten had he gotten the promotion,” said Capece.
The court scheduled a hearing on punitive damages to be awarded to O’Brien on Monday, Jan. 5. When the hearing took place, however, no punitive damages were awarded.
“I’m glad the matter has been resolved. It’s been a long three years,” said O’Brien in an interview with LocalSource on Friday, Jan. 2. “My family and I are glad there’s been a resolution and we can get on with our lives and move forward.”
“I’ve lived in Cranford all my life,” continued O’Brien. “I’ve always wanted to be a police officer since I was a child. I went to the University of Rhode Island and became a communications officer. I started working at the Cranford Police Department. I first became a police officer, then a detective, then a sergeant and finally a lieutenant.”
O’Brien said he was very appreciative for the support he received from the community and his legal team.
“I’d like to thank my attorneys, Frank Capece, Bob DeGroot and Oleg Nekritin, and Christopher Chapman,” said O’Brien.
“Timothy is an outstanding policeman,” said Capece.
“We respect the jury process in this country. We disagree with their decision, but we’re moving on from this,” said attorney Michael H. Robertson of the firm O’Toole Scrivo LLC, which represented Greco in this case, in an interview with LocalSource on Monday, Jan. 5.
“I look forward to continuing to work at the Cranford Police Department,” said O’Brien. “I love working here. I have a lot of pride in the Cranford Police Department.”
