Ex-Hanover Park bus driver says unwanted kiss led to job loss

A former bus driver for the Hanover Park Regional School District has claimed in a lawsuit that a supervisor falsely accused her of poor driving and then fired her after she complained that a male co-worker gave her an unwanted kiss on the neck.

Teresa Esposito filed a lawsuit, made public Thursday in state Superior Court, Morristown, against the Hanover Park Regional School District and Transportation Director Christopher Bluett. Esposito, who is represented by Parsippany attorney Howard A. Vex, is seeking damages for lost wages, mental anguish and humiliation and compensatory damages.

District Superintendent Carol Grossi did not return a call for comment. Bluett, who was Esposito’s supervisor when she drove a bus for the district between March 2013 and Feb. 10, 2015, referred a request for comment to Grossi and declined to make a statement himself.

The lawsuit states that Esposito was approached in the school parking lot on July 25, 2014 by a male co-worker who put his arms around her waist and kissed her on the neck.

“Ms. Esposito pushed him away and was initially terrified, as they were alone and outside, but her fear quickly turned to anger and outrage as she had been happily married for many years. Ms. Esposito composed herself and promptly reported this incident of blatant sexual harassment to her immediate supervisor, Mr. Bluett,” the lawsuit said.

The complaint alleges that Bluett gave Esposito the name of the district’s affirmative action officer and allowed her to park her personal car behind the transportation building but discouraged her from filing a formal complaint and “insisted” she edit her memo about the kissing incident “to downplay the severity of this incident.”

Feeling pressured by Bluett to stay silent, the suit said, Esposito declined to file a formal affirmative action complaint and altered her daily routine to keep away from the male driver. The lawsuit does not identify the man who allegedly kissed Esposito.

Months after the unwelcome advance, Esposito in October 2014 was speaking with co-workers and “was appalled to learn” that the same male driver had inappropriately touched at least four other female bus drivers, the suit said.

“Ms. Esposito could no longer accept the status quo. She concluded that no female employees of the school district should be forced to quietly endure this level of sexual harassment and the accompanying fear, simply in order to retain their jobs,” the lawsuit said.

Esposito got the female co-workers to join her in discussing their complaints with Bluett in October 2015. The result was that the male driver was offered the chance to resign in lieu of facing sexual harassment complaints and he opted to resign.

The suit alleges that Esposito’s “nightmare” then began. Bluett allegedly became “openly hostile,” ignored her and began a campaign to fire her.

The suit says that Esposito was accused of falsifying her time sheet and disregarding instructions on departure times. In January 2015, she was falsely accused of dangerously entering a right turn-only lane to pass a car on that car’s right. In February, she was accused of having an accident with her bus but failing to report the incident, based on two missing signal lights on the back corner of her bus, the lawsuit said.

The complaint contends that Bluett himself was seen in the district parking lot on a Sunday, where he allegedly had the chance to remove the signal lights from Esposito’s bus. The suit says the body of the bus around the signal lights was not damaged and it appeared the lights and covers were removed rather than broken off in a collision.

Esposito had one minor accident during her 23 months on the job which she immediately reported to Florham Park police and Bluett, the suit said. By comparison, other drivers had more serious accidents and remained employed, the document said.

The lawsuit charges that Esposito was subjected to sexual harassment, retaliation and retaliatory discharge in response to her attempts to enforce her protected right to a harassment-free work environment.

Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 973-267-1142; pwright@GannettNJ.com.