WHY DID THE MAYOR & COUNCIL SETTLE WITH A FORMER LIBRARY EMPLOYEE?
North Arlington – Why did the all-Republican Mayor & Council settle out-of-court with a former library employee for $200,000?
Residents continue to ask about this case in which Mayor Dan Pronti or any member of the Borough Council have issued any comment.
Anonymous online posts about the case have appeared recently.
But here’s what is known about the case:
There was a lawsuit titled Colao v. North Arlington Public Library (often referenced online with the plaintiff’s name spelled Colao or Calao), it was a civil lawsuit filed by a former library employee against the North Arlington Public Library alleging a hostile and discriminatory work environment.
Here’s what’s publicly reported about the case:
📌 What the lawsuit involved
The plaintiff, Irene Colao, filed a lawsuit against the North Arlington Public Library alleging that she experienced a hostile work environment, harassment, and discrimination while employed there.
Court filings (e.g., the civil case jacket) list Irene Colao v. North Arlington Public Library as the caption of the lawsuit, with the library named as the defendant.
Local news accounts characterize Colao’s claims as involving constant vulgar, racist, and discriminatory remarks by supervisors and coworkers that she said forced her to resign.
The suit was brought against the North Arlington Public Library as an employer, not directly against the North Arlington Borough Council.
There was a $200,000 settlement with the plaintiff in the case of Colao v. North Arlington Public Library involving a former library employee. According to multiple local reports, the North Arlington Borough (via its council) approved an out-of-court settlement of about $200,000 with the plaintiff, Irene Colao, who had sued the library alleging a hostile work environment and discriminatory conduct during her employment.
The settlement figure of around $200,000 has been publicly referenced in local reporting about North Arlington’s municipal finances and legal costs, though details of the settlement agreement itself (such as specific terms or nondisclosure provisions) were not widely published in major news outlets.