Katie Brennan, the staffer in Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration whose allegation she was raped by another former top aide to the governor has gripped New Jersey’s political world, has filed suit against the state, the Murphy campaign and her accused rapist, Albert J. Alvarez.
Brennan is seeking damages and emergency relief that bars the state from enforcing a confidentiality order against her as part of a new investigation into her statements that she has felt professional backlash since going public with her rape allegation.
The lawsuit accuses administration officials of bungling their response to Brennan’s rape allegation by violating her confidentiality, failing to inform her of her rights and failing to investigate her claims.
“She pursued every avenue she could ... waved every red flag she could access, and she was ignored. As Ms. Brennan has said, if she cannot get justice through currently available complaint systems, who can?" Brennan’s attorney, Kathryn McClure, said in a statement. "It should never have come to this, but every opportunity to take meaningful action was met with disregard.”
