Prosecutor Asked Employee to Process Photos of Herself in ‘Various Stages of Undress,’ Lawsuit Says
FLASH MODE
A New Jersey prosecutor has been sued by an employee for allegedly asking the worker to process photos of her in “various stages of undress.” Henry Hernandez, 50, worked with Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes as a media specialist. According to court documents filed April 18, Valdes, who has been the county prosecutor since 2009, gave Hernandez a CD in 2010 that contained photos of the prosecutor and her husband stripping down. Hernandez “did not believe that it was appropriate for him to view these materials and handed the disc back to Valdes and told her that he could not process it,” the suit says. In 2014, Hernandez claims Valdes tried again, giving him another batch of photos to process that were “inappropriate in a work environment,” the suit claims. The media specialist claims he was then retaliated against in the workplace. “He was treated differently and Valdes and other PCPO staff began to act toward him in a much colder manner than before,” the lawsuit states. The differential treatment allegedly included docked pay and failing to provide a safe environment once the COVID-19 pandemic began. When NJ.com contacted Valdes for comment, she declined to discuss the suit.