Lisa Easley v. The New Jersey Department of Corrections. Ms. Easley was a former corrections officer for the New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC) who for 16 years had a spotless employment record. From 2006 through 2009, she became the victim of extortion by the Deputy Commissioner, Lydell Sherrer. In October 2010 the FBI arrested Lydell Sherrer for his extortionate activity. Ms. Easley cooperated with the FBI in their investigation of these extortionate activities and she testified on behalf of the prosecution before a grand jury. Lydell Sherrer was indicted and ultimately plead guilty to extortion. Ms. Easley was identified as a victim of Lydell Sherrer’s extortion in both the plea agreement and the criminal judgment. Shortly thereafter, the NJDOC retaliated against Ms. Easley for her cooperation with the FBI and ultimately terminated her.
The trial was held in Burlington County and spanned over 7 weeks. Ms. Easley’s attorneys, Alan H. Schorr and Arykah A. Trabosh tried the case and aggressively fought for our client. In the end, justice prevailed and the jury unanimously found that the NJDOC retaliated against Ms. Easley for her whistleblowing activities (cooperating with the FBI and testifying before the grand jury) and awarded a jury verdict in excess of $265,000 in backpay, $1,000,000 in emotional distress damages and $6,500,000 in punitive damages. Congratulations Lisa, it was an honor representing you.