Bayonne Scandal: Judge Overturns $500K Jury Award to Ex-Employee, Raising Alarms Over Fairness and Judicial Bias

Bayonne, NJ — In a stunning and controversial move, Hudson County Superior Court Judge Kimberly Espinales-Maloney has overturned a $500,000 jury verdict awarded to Sincerrae Ross, a former City Hall employee who sued the city for creating a hostile work environment. The jury had found in Ross’s favor after she detailed her ordeal working under the administration of Mayor Jimmy Davis — only to have the victory snatched away in a courtroom reversal that has shocked legal observers, employee advocates, and residents alike.

Ross’s attorney, Juan Cervantes, expressed outrage at the judge’s decision, telling Hudson County View, “My client is devastated. She has endured years of emotional distress and retaliation, only to have justice denied after a jury of her peers stood by her.” (Hudson County View, April 2025, source)

The city has been notably silent on the matter, with Mayor Davis’s administration refusing to issue any official comment. But this is not the first time Bayonne has been embroiled in costly and embarrassing employment lawsuits — nor is it the first time Judge Espinales-Maloney has been at the center of controversy.

In 2023, Bayonne settled two lawsuits with another former city employee, whistleblower Stacie Percella, for a total of $450,000 — including a headline-grabbing “sexting” case that directly implicated Mayor Davis. Importantly, it was Judge Espinales-Maloney who dismissed Percella’s lawsuit in 2020, only to have the appellate court later reverse her decision, paving the way for the settlements (Hudson County View, Sept. 2023, source).

These repeated patterns of rulings favoring the city administration — followed by reversals at the appellate level — raise deeply troubling questions about the impartiality of the local judiciary. Critics are increasingly pointing to what they see as a bias by Judge Espinales-Maloney toward City Hall and Mayor Davis’s administration, undermining employee rights and discouraging whistleblowers and victims of harassment from stepping forward.

Legal experts warn that the chilling effect of such judicial reversals could be profound. “When a jury speaks after hearing all the evidence, and a judge unilaterally erases that verdict without compelling grounds, it sends a dangerous message that the courtroom is not a level playing field,” said a legal scholar familiar with employment litigation, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Adding fuel to the fire, Ross’s case shines a harsh light on Bayonne’s broader workplace culture under Davis. The administration has weathered repeated accusations of cronyism, retaliation, and mismanagement, often spending taxpayer money to settle disputes rather than address systemic problems. But with judges repeatedly tossing out these claims at the trial level, only to be overturned on appeal, the community is left questioning whether justice is truly being served in Hudson County’s courtrooms.

Community advocates are now calling for an investigation into the judiciary’s handling of municipal cases, and some are demanding that the New Jersey Supreme Court review the pattern of reversals linked to Judge Espinales-Maloney. “This isn’t just about one judge or one mayor — it’s about the integrity of our system and whether ordinary workers can have faith that the law protects them,” said a spokesperson for a local government accountability group.

As for Ross, her fight for justice is far from over. Her legal team has signaled plans to appeal the judge’s decision, determined to hold the city accountable and to send a message to other municipal employees that their voices matter — even when powerful forces attempt to silence them.

Citations:

Hudson County View, “Bayonne settles 2 lawsuits with ex-employee, including Davis sexting case, for $450K,” Sept. 2023, source Hudson County View, “Ex-Bayonne rec department employee sues city, wins $500K in hostile workplace case,” April 2025, source