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In a stunning courtroom blow to Jackson Township, a Superior Court judge has just slammed the door shut on the municipality’s desperate attempt to kill off a bombshell whistleblower lawsuit — clearing the way for depositions of top township officials, including Mayor Jennifer Kuhn, FAA News reports.
As previously reported here on FAA News back in December 2025, 57-year-old Marianne Horta filed a blistering 15-page complaint in Ocean County Superior Court accusing the Township, former Mayor Michael Reina, and current Mayor Jennifer Kuhn of a vicious, months-long campaign of retaliation, age discrimination, disability discrimination, and outright bullying.
Horta, the longtime Personnel Officer and Purchasing Agent, claims she became a target the moment she pushed back against what she called illegal and unethical actions by Mayor Kuhn — starting with a March 2025 code enforcement investigation that Kuhn allegedly didn’t like the results of.
What followed, according to the suit, was pure harassment:
- Stripped of her $12,000 Purchasing Agent stipend and title — handed to her 38-year-old assistant who allegedly lacked the qualifications (forcing taxpayers to shell out an extra $17,500 for a private consultant)
- Locked down in her office and forbidden from leaving during work hours — even to consult with other department heads
- Bombarded with petty emails nitpicking 20-minute response times and demanding she attend meetings she wasn’t even assigned to
- Publicly humiliated with a police escort out of town hall after being placed on administrative leave
- Bluntly told by Kuhn: “Retire, or I’ll make you go through the termination process”
Even more shocking: the suit alleges Kuhn went after Horta’s adult son, Anthony — a township recreation employee with dyslexia, a speech impediment, and learning disabilities. One coworker reportedly overheard plans to “get rid of the retard and his mother by January.” Anthony was quickly demoted and transferred to the Senior Center in what Horta calls textbook family retaliation.
Now, after months of legal wrangling, Judge Valter Must has DENIED the Township’s motion to dismiss the entire case.
The ruling means every explosive allegation survives — including claims under the Conscientious Employee Protection Act (CEPA), the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (age and disability/associational discrimination), hostile work environment, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, wrongful termination, and violation of public policy.
The case will now barrel forward into the discovery phase. That means depositions are coming — and key members of the Jackson Township administration, including Mayor Jennifer Kuhn herself, will be forced to sit down under oath and answer questions about the alleged bullying, the targeting of Horta and her disabled son, the stripping of titles, and the “retire or else” pressure tactics.
Horta’s attorney, F. Kevin Lynch, has long maintained the evidence will show a clear pattern of unlawful retaliation against an employee who simply tried to follow the law and protect township policies.
The Township has not yet issued a public comment on today’s ruling.
This is far from over — and with depositions now on the horizon, Jackson residents could soon hear directly from the officials at the center of one of the most jaw-dropping municipal employment scandals in recent Ocean County history.
Stay tuned to FAA News for continuing coverage as this high-stakes case heats up in the courtroom.
In the past few years, the town has paid out millions as a result of lawsuits and state complaints from numerous fired employees.
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