Former Jersey City Deputy Chief of Staff Phil Orphanidis has filed a $3 million tort claim against the city alleging he was improperly demoted this year after the police body camera footage of his September driving under the influence (DUI) arrest came to light in March.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The notice says that Orphanidis, also a West Orange mayoral candidate, was a former assistant director within the Jersey City Division of Community Development, with a permanent Civil Service title of system analyst, and he is seeking $3 million in damages.
“On March 3, 2025, Jersey City’s Human Resources Department notified Mr. Orphanidis by telephone that he was being reassigned to the Animal Care and Control Division with a reduction in salary from $103,000 to $75,000,” the claim contends.
“There was no written explanation or justification for this action, no disciplinary charges were issued, no hearing was offered and no layoff or reclassification procedures were followed. Mr. Orphanidis received an offer letter for the new position and was instructed to accept the offer the same day.”
Further, the actions of the city are characterized as “arbitrary and capricious” as well as “in blatant disregard of established Civil Service procedures.”
Orphanidis, via the tort, says he continues to suffer loss of income, benefits, future earning capacity, professional reputational damage, and public embarrassment and harm to his professional credibility.
In New Jersey, tort claims are filed as a precursor to a lawsuit against a public entity, in this case the City of Jersey City.
On September 25th, Orphanidis was charged with assault by auto, DUI, refusal to submit to a chemical test, driving with an expired license, and failure to possess a driver’s insurance after rear ending a car in Downtown Jersey City around 5:30 p.m.
The case has very slowly moving it’s way through Jersey City Municipal Court, with Orphanidis expected to plead guilty to refusing a breathalyzer next month based on today’s hearing, as HCV first reported.
Politico first reported on the body camera footage, which is a public record, subsequently noting that Orphanidis received the aforementioned Civil Service post two weeks before then-Mayor Steven Fulop’s third and final term ended.
The video of the arrest shows Orphanidis irate at times since he felt he was a key part hiring hundreds of new police officers during Fulop’s tenure. At one point, he also claimed he was facing retaliation after Fulop lost the gubernatorial primary in June.
“I’m the f***ng deputy chief of staff of Jersey City. I didn’t do anything f***ing wrong. This is f***ing stupid,” he said at the time while being recorded by the body camera.
While being processed at a holding cell at the police station, Orphanidis declared that any elected official would have been let go, fixating on when Craig Guy, then the chief of staff to Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise, had a DUI case dismissed in 2019.
“If I’m Craig Guy in Hudson County. If I’m the f***ing county executive in Hudson County, then you know what? I get off the DUI. If I’m any county politician in Jersey City, then I get f***ing off. If I’m any elected official in the State of New Jersey that f***ing does this, I get off.”
Jersey City spokesman Nathaniel Styer declined to comment on pending litigation.
Entitled jerk. The case is either laughed out of court, or drags on and rewards him with a settlement just to end it. Drunk drivers are scum.
That is a good mugshot. Phil you look like you just got hit by lightening.