A former supervisor for the New Jersey Board of Tree Experts has filed a lawsuit against the agency, accusing it of unlawful surveillance and privacy violations after the discovery of a hidden camera aimed at her desk.
Amanda Glenn, who worked for the agency as program manager, alleges in court papers a colleague informed her in October 2023 about a concealed Ring camera, camouflaged with tape, positioned in the shared office space to monitor her work.
The camera was initially hidden behind a computer and later moved to a higher vantage point on a cabinet, aimed directly at her desk and that of another employee, Glenn claims in her lawsuit, filed in state court on Sept. 27.
Glenn contends that she had no prior knowledge of the device and never consented to being surveilled, asserting the intrusion violated her right to privacy.
A woman who answered the phone Friday at the New Jersey Board of Tree Experts office in Jackson Township said there was no one available to comment on the lawsuit.
A spokesperson for the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office said the state has no comment on the matter.
The New Jersey Board of Tree Experts regulates tree care businesses in the state and sets standards for professional practices, qualifications, and registration. The agency was first created in 1940 by the Tree Expert Act to assist people with arboriculture knowledge and background.
The “Tree Expert & Tree Care Operator Licensing Act” was passed in January 2010 that established a board with oversight from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
Upper managers allegedly justified the camera’s installation as a security measure to monitor individuals attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in the office, according to the suit, which also claims that video recording of AA members at a meeting is illegal.
Despite this, Glenn argues that the camera placement in her workspace, where she handled sensitive job-related and personal activities, was inappropriate and invasive.
While court papers do not state who installed the camera, Glenn claims the camera’s setup was specifically intended to observe her and her activities, constituting illegal surveillance under New Jersey law.
Certain members of the tree board “secretly installed a hidden and disguised camera to monitor (Glenn), another staff member and a third party,” the lawsuit alleges.
Glenn, a 30-year-old Black woman with managerial experience, was hired by the tree board in March 2023.
She claims her relationship with staff deteriorated quickly after she raised concerns about workplace behavior, including racially insensitive remarks allegedly made by two white administrative assistants.
According to the suit, Glenn reported that the assistants — referred to in court documents as “the sisters” — treated Hispanic applicants rudely and expressed disdain for non-English speakers.
“They are in America now. They can learn English,” one of the sisters allegedly said of the Hispanic license applicants, the suit says.
The sisters are in their sixties or seventies and have worked for the tree board for about 30 years, according to the lawsuit. “The sisters refused to comply with the procedures created by (Glenn) and would not work on the tasks assigned,” the suit alleges.
During a group discussion, “the sisters openly and loudly announced that ‘Amanda Glenn is too young to qualify as a manager,’ that ‘it will never work out with her being the manager,’” and said they will not change their negative behaviors, the suit alleges.
Despite Glenn’s complaints, the board took no disciplinary action against the sisters for alleged insubordination, the suit claims.
Instead, the board allegedly took retaliatory actions against Glenn for her complaints about the sisters and the camera. The suit alleges the board restricted her remote work privileges, reduced her hours, and publicly criticized her in emails to staff.
Glenn’s lawsuit seeks damages for emotional distress, lost wages, and punitive compensation, arguing that the tree board’s actions created a hostile work environment and ultimately forced her to resign in December 2023.
The lawsuit accuses tree board of violating New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination and the Conscientious Employee Protection Act, among other claims.
Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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