A lawsuit filed by former Howell Township Manager Joseph Clark continues to escalate, with Clark’s attorneys now seeking to quash a subpoena aimed at obtaining records from his new employer as part of the ongoing litigation. The motion comes amid a widening dispute over Clark’s allegations of retaliation, discrimination, and unconstitutional policy directives by township officials.
Clark filed the lawsuit on July 25, accusing Mayor John Leggio, Councilman Ian Nadel, Councilwoman Susan Fischer, Municipal Clerk Diane Festino, and the Township of Howell of violating New Jersey’s Conscientious Employee Protection Act (CEPA), the state’s Law Against Discrimination, and public policy protections. The suit claims Clark endured retaliation, public humiliation, age discrimination, and a hostile work environment after refusing to implement rental housing ordinances he alleges were designed to racially profile immigrants and unlawfully strip tenants of their rights.
Clark abruptly resigned on June 18, notifying the township that his last day would be July 11. Public records later revealed he had already accepted the position of Borough Administrator in Stone Harbor the previous day and had applied for the job as early as May 29. Howell Township Council placed him on paid administrative leave on June 24 in response.
According to Clark’s lawsuit, tensions had been building for months over rental housing proposals championed by Mayor Leggio and Councilman Nadel. Clark alleges the proposed ordinances required tenants to prove citizenship or legal residency before renting, allowed revocation of rental Certificates of Occupancy if tenants failed to present a matching state ID within 60 days, and even punished tenants for arrests or police activity unrelated to their homes. Clark claims the measures were unconstitutional, discriminatory, and targeted immigrant residents.
The complaint cites multiple internal communications to support these allegations. In one, Nadel allegedly referred to two teenagers as “Mexicans” and suggested their names be matched with rental records. In another, he reportedly proposed using school rosters to verify children’s addresses. Nadel is further accused of directing staff to identify suspected undocumented immigrants by checking recycling bins for Modelo beer bottles.
Following a June 5 homicide in Howell, Nadel allegedly texted Clark calling for a “full-on ban on illegal aliens renting in our town.” Clark says this culminated in a public statement by Leggio and Nadel that blamed unnamed township officials—implied to be Clark—for conditions that led to the killing.
The lawsuit also alleges Clark faced repeated age-based insults from the mayor and that Leggio made offensive remarks about certain police officers. Clark filed a formal internal complaint on June 9 outlining these issues.
As the lawsuit progresses, attorneys representing Howell Township issued a subpoena on October 27 to Stone Harbor seeking documents related to Clark’s job search and hiring. Days later, Clark’s attorney instructed Stone Harbor not to produce any records until a court ruling.
On November 17, Clark’s attorneys filed a motion to quash the subpoena entirely and requested that the court prohibit township attorneys from issuing further subpoenas to current or former employers without prior judicial approval. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for December 19.
Despite the lawsuit, township officials named in the complaint have continued advancing new rental housing regulations. At a July 29 meeting, the council introduced an ordinance targeting sober living homes and signaled additional measures are forthcoming, including bans on boarding houses in residential zones, stricter rental registration requirements, and expanded inspection mandates for landlords.
The case is expected to move into the discovery phase in the coming months, as both sides prepare for what could be a protracted legal battle.