UNION CITY, N.J. — September 24, 2026

A Hudson County jury has delivered a major legal defeat to the City of Union City and its police department, finding them liable for discrimination against retired Union City Police Officer Juan Estrella, while also finding Mayor and Public Safety Director Brian Stack and former Police Chief Nichelle Luster liable for aiding and abetting the discrimination.

The verdict is no longer an allegation contained in a lawsuit. After hearing the evidence and competing arguments from both sides, a jury reached findings of liability.

The jury found the City of Union City and Union City Police Department liable for discrimination by a 7-1 vote. Even more strikingly, the eight-member jury unanimously found Stack and Luster liable for aiding and abetting the discrimination.

The jury found the defendants liable on all eight questions submitted to it, according to the report.

AT LEAST $853,000 — AND THE CASE ISN’T OVER

The financial consequences are already substantial.

The jury unanimously awarded Estrella $117,000 in back pay and $700,000 in lost pension payments associated with the sergeant position. It additionally awarded $36,000 for emotional distress, bringing the award reported so far to at least $853,000.

And that figure may not be the end.

The jury is expected to consider punitive damages on September 25, meaning the ultimate financial judgment could increase.

This was not simply a disagreement over whether Estrella deserved a promotion.

Estrella, who is Dominican, maintained that he was treated differently when he was bypassed for promotion to sergeant. His attorneys presented evidence concerning other officers’ disciplinary histories and argued that non-Dominican officers received promotions despite discipline that did not prevent their advancement. The defense disputed the discrimination claim, arguing that Estrella was bypassed because of his disciplinary record, an unresolved disciplinary matter and concerns about his supervisory abilities. (Hudson County View⁠)

The jury ultimately found liability.

STACK AND LUSTER WERE PERSONALLY PUT BEFORE THE JURY

Days before the verdict, the defense attempted to have Stack and Luster dismissed from the case.

Superior Court Judge Kalimah Ahmad denied that effort, concluding that the evidence presented permitted the issues concerning their alleged participation to be decided by the jury.

The jury then went further: according to Hudson County View, all eight jurors found Stack and Luster liable for aiding and abetting the discrimination.

That distinction matters politically as well as legally.

Stack is not merely Union City’s mayor. He also serves as the city’s public safety director, placing the verdict directly within an area of municipal government over which he holds significant official responsibility.

For years, Stack has built a powerful political organization in Union City. His critics have repeatedly characterized that concentration of political and governmental power as a system in which loyalty and influence play an outsized role.

Those broader accusations were not themselves adjudicated by this verdict, and they should not be confused with what the jury actually decided.

What was decided is significant enough on its own: a jury found the municipal defendants liable for discrimination and unanimously found Stack and Luster liable for aiding and abetting it.

THE TRIAL EXPOSED SERIOUS QUESTIONS ABOUT UCPD PROMOTIONS

The trial examined years of Union City Police Department disciplinary and promotional history.

Estrella’s attorneys argued that the department’s stated reliance on his disciplinary record did not withstand scrutiny when compared with the treatment of other officers. They contended that officers with serious disciplinary histories nevertheless advanced through the department while Estrella’s record was used against him.

The defense vigorously rejected that characterization.

Defense attorney Phillip Morrow argued that New Jersey’s Civil Service “Rule of Three” permitted the department to select among eligible candidates and that Estrella’s disciplinary history, unresolved discipline and alleged supervisory shortcomings supplied legitimate reasons for bypassing him. The defense also maintained that the evidence did not establish national-origin discrimination.

The jury heard both versions.

It found against the defendants.

EXPLOSIVE TESTIMONY REGARDING DOMINICANS

The trial also included particularly serious testimony from Union City Police Officer David Tafur, who testified that he heard Luster make a derogatory statement referring to Dominicans as “animals.”

Luster emphatically denied making the statement and testified that such a remark would be contrary to her beliefs. The allegation therefore remained disputed testimony rather than an independently established fact.

Nevertheless, the testimony formed part of the broader evidentiary record the jury heard before reaching its verdict.

THIS VERDICT SHOULD FORCE UNION CITY TO ANSWER HARD QUESTIONS

For Union City residents and employees, the implications extend beyond one retired officer’s damages award.

When a municipality and its police department are found liable for employment discrimination, and the mayor/public safety director and former police chief are simultaneously found liable for aiding and abetting that discrimination, legitimate questions arise about oversight, accountability, promotional practices and the institutional culture surrounding municipal employment.

Estrella’s victory therefore represents more than an $853,000 award.

It demonstrates that municipal officials can be forced to defend their conduct before an independent jury—and that political power does not determine what that jury ultimately decides.

Brian Stack and his administration has been facing criticism in the past couple years with allegations of sexual harassment, sexual assault, pay to play, political corruption, nepotism and much more.

But what happened in this courtroom does not require speculation:

Juan Estrella brought his case before a jury.

Union City defended itself.

The jury heard the evidence.

Union City and its police department were found liable for discrimination.

Brian Stack and Nichelle Luster were unanimously found liable for aiding and abetting it.

And Juan Estrella was awarded at least $853,000—with punitive damages still to be determined.

For an administration accustomed to wielding enormous political influence in Union City, this verdict provides a stark reminder that governmental authority remains subject to the law, the courts and, ultimately, a jury.

Whatever happens politically after this case is for Union City residents to decide.

But inside the courtroom on September 24, 2026, Juan Estrella prevailed.