Attorneys continued to question current Union City police officers to ascertain the details surrounding hiring and promotion practices as retired Police Officer Juan Estrella’s discrimination case continues.
By Dan Israel/Hudson County View
The jury against heard from Internal Affairs Sgt. Jorgie Ives, who spoke to the disciplinary records of various officers including retired Sgt. Sergio DeRojas, retired Lt. Juan Loaces, as well as the number of disciplines and dates of promotions for Sgts. Ruben Rodriguez, Richard Perez, Patricia Lazzarini, Andres Gonzalez (retired), as well as Lt. Hernan Lenis and Capt. Glenn Gaston.
DeRojas and Gaston were cited by attorneys for Juan Estrella as examples of non-Dominican officers who were promoted ahead of him despite having worse discipline records.
Although she settled for $100,000, a 911 dispatcher accused DeRojas of sexual assault at the police headquarters, while Gaston was injured off the job but claimed it happened on duty to attempt to collect benefits from Union City; both promotions occurred after each aforementioned incident.
Meanwhile, in 2024 Rodriguez reported being injured during an encounter with an individual at the Union City Police Department and an individual was then charged with aggravated assault.
However, a review of records revealed Rodriguez’ report was incorrect and the assault did not occur resulting in his suspension after he was charged with one fourth-degree count of false reporting to a law enforcement authority.
And in 2021, Lazzarini was arrested by the Branchburg Police Department and subsequently received summonses for DUI, refusal to submit to breath test, and failure to maintain lane.
In 2023, Lazzarini was found guilty of operating under the influence of liquor or drugs and traffic on marked lanes, and according to the report, the suspension was settled by the end of 2025.
Lazzarini was suspended another 180 days for sustained charges of conduct unbecoming of a public employee and repeated violations of rules and regulations after being involved in an altercation at a nightclub in Asbury Park and determined to be one of the aggressors while on un-paid suspension.
During this testimony, Ives read the discipline report about DeRojas’ alleged sexual assault, of which it only mentioned it was “sexual harassment” and that he went to see the female victim.
At one point, he further testified about the number of disciplines each had when they were prompted, and under which police chief the promotion occurred under.
Defendant counsel Phillip Morrow did this to ultimately show that only one of the examined promotions was issued by former Police Chief Nichelle Luster, who is named in the case, for Gonzalez in 2012 to become sergeant, although that was just the beginning.
Plaintiff counsel Ernest Ianetti questioned Ives about rule making in promotion decisions, the Internal Affairs influence at the time, and the security of the platform.
However, he was stopped and forced into a sidebar with the other attorneys and Superior Court Judge Kalimah Ahmad after mentioning DeRojas.
He said that, prior to the reported sexual harassment in 2015 – which was six years before a security system was implemented – DeRojas had received discipline for unauthorized access to department security systems, but Ianetti was then halted from proceeding.
Once the jury was dismissed, Ahmad engaged in a back-and-forth with Ianetti and Yasmine Estrella, co-plaintiff counsel, along with Morrow and Corey Depasy – co-defendant counsel – over if DeRojas would actually even testify at all.
Ahmad made clear this case is only about if Juan Estrella was bypassed a promotion due to his national origin, and that remaining counts of the complaint have been dismissed per a previous summary judgement order she issued.
“What is the testimony from DeRojas that we have not already heard?” Ahmad questioned.
While Ianetti sought to have DeRojas testify to his alleged sexual assault as proof that non-Dominican officers with worse discipline records were promoted over Juan Estrella.
Ahmad wagered that contesting the report of the situation would be something to take up with Civil Service, that Ives testified about DeRojas’ disciplinary infractions, and that while the attorneys know that key information is missing, the report is official.
“To now challenge that would mean … that discipline is incorrectly filed with the civil service commission,” Ahmad argued.
While she asked why it wasn’t challenged at the time, Ianetti said he only realized when after received it that the discipline report for the alleged sexual assault by DeRojas was sanitized.
Ultimately, Ahmad said she would allow questions about whether or not DeRojas knew about officers working around the civil service promotion list to advance within the Union City PD by seeing state Senator (D-33)/Mayor Brian Stack directly.
“Go see Stack and make it happen,” Ianetti claimed is what Juan Estrella was told.
Eventually, Ahmad decided she would allow DeRojas to testify, but questioning would be limited to his Cuban national origin and his supervisory skills during his work history and tenure at the UCPD.
While DeRojas, who was expected to testify Friday at one point, and at least one other officer are expected to take the stand in court next week, the jury will only be in session on Monday and Tuesday of next week.
No decision was made, but Estrella’s attorneys discussed the possibility of either Gaston or Rodriguez testifying as well.
Similarly, while Loaces was permitted to testify by Ahmad, his testimony was limited in scope to DeRojas.
Yasmin Estrella and Ianetti were pushing to ask him if he knew that his promotion was postponed until the open disciplinary case was closed, continuing the line of questioning to if officers had the opportunity to circumvent the Civil Service list and get a promotion by approaching Stack directly.
They believed that Lt. Christopher Rengel’s prior testimony was clear that Juan Estrella could go the Union City mayor, also the commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, himself to make his case for a promotion to sergeant.
According to Estrella’s attorneys, it was important to ask Loaces that to further inquire on the practice.
While she did not address that point, Ahmad also determined that in two weeks or so, Stack and Luster would take the stand.
The trial effectively began on Monday, with both sides giving opening statements at the Brennan Courthouse in Jersey City, as only HCV reported.