PAY-TO-PLAY IN UNION CITY; HOW POLITICAL LOYALTY OVERRULED MERIT, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND EVEN DEATH INSIDE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT

For years, Union City has promoted an image of order, professionalism, and public safety. But the current Estrella lawsuit, now further escalates in court, alleges that behind that image operated a pay-to-play political system in which police promotions, discipline, protection, and even EMS leadership were dictated not by merit — but by political loyalty to Mayor and State Senator Brian Stack.

This is not an isolated employment dispute. The Estrella case consolidates and builds upon decades of litigation, sworn pleadings, discovery, depositions and firsthand testimony alleging that officers who donated money, volunteered time, or otherwise supported the Mayor’s political organization were rewarded, while those who did not were punished or frozen out.

THE ESTRELLA LAWSUIT: THE CENTRAL, ACTIVE CASE

The Estrella filings are the most comprehensive articulation yet of how the alleged system functioned. They proceed item by item, detailing:

-Promotions allegedly granted despite serious disciplinary histories,

-Discipline allegedly imposed selectively to block promotion eligibility,

– Internal affairs allegedly used as a political weapon,

– Special assignments and extra compensation allegedly given as political rewards.

Most importantly, the Estrella case relies on prior litigation — including a federal wrongful-death lawsuit — as comparator evidence, even though the names of officers in those prior cases are redacted in the Estrella pleadings.

REDACTIONS IN ESTRELLA — AND HOW THE OFFICERS ARE IDENTIFIABLE

A key feature of the Estrella filings is that names of officers connected to prior lawsuits and pay-to-play allegations are redacted. The complaint does not re-litigate earlier cases; instead, it uses them to demonstrate disparate treatment and political protection.

However:

The Estrella filings describe the underlying facts in detail Those descriptions match publicly available cases by date, role, and outcome. Through standard legal research — comparing pleadings, verdicts, appellate opinions, and dockets — the identities of most redacted officers can be determined.

This is especially true with respect to the wrongful-death lawsuit, which plays a central role in the Estrella narrative.

THE WRONGFUL-DEATH LAWSUIT BECOMES PART OF THE ESTRELLA CASE

The Estrella pleadings specifically reference and rely upon a federal wrongful-death case involving Union City police officers, using it as comparator evidence to show political favoritism and protection.

That case corresponds to Rosario v. City of Union City Police Department, where a man died in police custody after officers allegedly failed to provide adequate medical care, resulting in a multi-million-dollar jury verdict.

Although names are redacted in Estrella, the facts described align with officers named in that litigation, including:

– Lt. Glen Gaston

– Retired Lt. Sergio DeRojas

– Retired Officer Juan Mendez

– Retired Lt. Juan Loaces

The Estrella lawsuit emphasizes that officers connected to a case involving loss of life were allegedly not sidelined, demoted, or barred from advancement, while non-aligned officers were disciplined aggressively for far less.

WHY THE WRONGFUL-DEATH CASE MATTERS IN ESTRELLA

The wrongful-death case is used for a precise purpose:

to show that political loyalty, not accountability, governed outcomes.

The contrast alleged is stark:

Officers connected to a wrongful-death verdict were allegedly protected and favored. Officers who did not support the Mayor politically were allegedly:

-Suspended for minor or technical issues,

-Investigated without proper procedures

-Blocked from promotion despite seniority and merit.

The Estrella case argues that if even a wrongful-death verdict did not interrupt advancement, discipline was never the real standard — political allegiance was.

BRADY / GIGLIO DISCLOSURE AND POLITICAL SHIELDING

The Estrella filings further allege that some politically favored officers — including those identifiable through cross-referenced litigation — were subject to Brady/Giglio disclosure obligations, requiring prosecutors to disclose credibility or impeachment issues in criminal cases.

Despite this, the lawsuit alleges:

-No meaningful career consequences

-No removal from sensitive assignments

-No bar to promotion or special appointments

Again, the allegation is not criminal guilt — it is institutional tolerance tied to political loyalty.

ITEM 72: EMS USED AS A POLITICAL REWARD

The Estrella complaint extends the alleged pay-to-play system beyond police promotions and into Emergency Medical Services.

Item 72 alleges that police officers who financially supported the Mayor’s political organization were also appointed Director of EMS:

-Without a competitive hiring process,

-Without interviews,

-Without resumes,

– and even without any medical training, education or experience.

With approximately $10,000 per year in additional compensation; While duties allegedly overlapped with full-time police responsibilities

Police Captain Michael J. Bergbauer (Current)

Based on firsthand testimony, Captain Michael J. Bergbauer is identified as the current Director of EMS, while simultaneously serving as a police captain.

EMS — a life-and-death public service — is alleged to have been treated as a political reward, not a merit-based appointment.

SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS — AND PROMOTION DESPITE REPORTING

The Estrella filings also describe serious allegations of sexual misconduct by a police superior, followed not by accountability, but by promotion.

According to the pleadings and related materials, one of the redacted comparator officers was accused by a civilian police employee of being forced to perform oral sex on a supervising officer. The allegations further state that:

The victim formally reported the incident. The report was made to police superiors and the Chief of Police. The matter was brought to the attention of Mayor Brian Stack Despite the report, the supervising officer was not removed, disciplined, or sidelined. Instead, the officer was later promoted.

The Estrella pleadings include this allegation to demonstrate selective tolerance and protection for favored officers — even where the alleged conduct involved abuse of authority and coercion.

Identification of the Redacted Officer

While the Estrella filings redact the officer’s name, the victim previously provided a copy of her complaint, referenced among the article’s source materials. In that complaint, the victim identifies the supervising officer corresponding to the redacted Estrella files, reference as Retired Lt. Sergio De Rojas.

The Estrella lawsuit alleges that even allegations of coerced sexual conduct did not impede advancement, reinforcing the central claim that political loyalty, not conduct or accountability, governed promotion decisions and upon retirement, a six figure salary position within the Union City Board of Education.

THE BERGBAUER FAMILY CONTEXT: ITEM 23 IN FIGUEROA

Earlier litigation reinforces the Estrella narrative. In Michael Figueroa v. Brian Stack, Item 23 references Captain Michael Bergbauer Sr., a captain in the 1990s and father of the current Captain Michael J. Bergbauer.

That complaint alleges that Bergbauer Sr;

In February of 1996, then Patrol Division Captain Michael Bergbauer asked Plaintiff if he would like to go to the Detective Bureau (“DB”). When Plaintiff affirmed that he would, he was told he should know there were “extra curricular activities involved.” Plaintiff understood this to mean that the change in position would require his political involvement in the form of campaigning for the mayor, participating in charitable events, and buying tickets to political fundraising events. Plaintiff understood that financial contributions would be required to show political support and affiliation with the mayor in exchange for the reward of promotions.

The relevance is to show Bergbauer Sr. historical and traditional political manipulation of police leadership is alleged to span generations. The Bergbauer name appearing both historically and in the current Estrella pay-to-play allegations involving EMS and police leadership.

A LONG TRAIL OF LITIGATION, ONE CONSISTENT THEME

The Estrella lawsuit ties together — directly or by detailed reference — multiple prior cases, including:

-The Rosario wrongful-death lawsuit Figueroa (political retaliation)

-Ruiz and related appellate cases (political association claims)

While each case stands on its own procedurally, the Estrella filings allege a single, consistent theme:

Refusal to serve the Mayor’s political narrative carried professional consequences.

CONCLUSION

The Estrella lawsuit is not about one promotion. It is about a system alleged to have:

– Rewarded political loyalty over merit,

– Shielded favored officers even after a wrongful-death verdict,

– Tolerated severe misconduct allegations without consequence,

– Extended patronage into EMS leadership,

– Weaponized discipline against dissent.

By referencing prior lawsuits with names redacted — yet factually identifiable — the Estrella filings make a blunt claim:

Even death, and even allegations of grave abuse, did not break the political protection.

As this case proceeds, Union City is forced to confront a question it can no longer avoid:

Were its police and emergency services serving the public — or a political machine?