Ex-Atlantic City police chief's $3.9M award in whistleblower case overturned

ATLANTIC CITY – The $3.9 million verdict awarded to former Atlantic City police chief John Mooney three years ago in his whistleblower lawsuit has been overturned by an appellate court.

The court ordered a new trial, citing "predjudicial errors" in the instructions the jury received in 2013, according to a decision released Tuesday.

That jury had awarded Mooney $3,885,173.01 under the Contentious Employee Protection Act, but didn't consider whether the veteran cop "suffered an adverse employment action," the appellate court wrote.

Mooney, now 61, claimed he was demoted because he alleged then-Mayor Lorenzo Langford and then-public safety Director Christine Peterson interfered in day-to-day police matters and internal investigations.

Read more: http://www.nj.com/atlantic/index.ssf/2016/08/former_atlantic_city_police_chief_wont_get_38m_set.html