A jury in federal court in Newark awarded $2.17 million on May 2 to nine former Jersey City police sergeants who claimed they were denied promotions due to violations of the First Amendment and the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination.

In Montone v. City of Jersey City, plaintiff Valerie Montone claimed in a suit that the police department would not promote any sergeants to the rank of lieutenant from November 2004 to July 2006 because she was on the promotion list and the police chief did not want to promote her.