Ex-custodian accuses SCCC of unlawful firing

Former Sussex County Community College (SCCC) custodian Sergey Stolyarov has sued in federal court, claiming he was unlawfully terminated in 2023 because of his age and religious beliefs after working there 24 years.

In the suit, Stolyarov, 68, says he was harassed and discriminated against by former chief operating officer and chief human resources officer James Gaddy and custodial supervisor Rose Figueroa.

Both Gaddy and Figueroa, who did not comment, are named in the lawsuit along with SCCC.

Stolyarov says he was passed over for the position of custodial supervisor in March 2023 in favor of Figueroa, then 35, even though he had more experience and positive performance reviews and similar promotions were based on seniority.

While working under Figueroa, Stolyarov was put in situations that compromised his beliefs as a Russian Orthodox Christian, such as being made to clean a bathroom alone with an unfamiliar female, he said. In addition, he was given unrealistic tasks that his co-workers were not given, such as being assigned to clean a 100,000-square-foot area in an eight-hour shift when Common Education Data Standards call for cleaning no more than 10,000 square feet in an eight-hour shift, he said.

As a result, Stolyarov went to Gaddy for assistance, according to the lawsuit.

“Gaddy only told Stolyarov, ‘You have to please her.’ Furthermore, Gaddy would regularly make an issue to Stolyarov of his age and on one occasion told Stolyarov to ‘Behave’ as he grabbed his hand. Stolyarov moved his hand away. Gaddy then advised Stolyarov, ‘I will give you a warning; I will fire you. You are old and you only have a year left,’ ” the suit says.

Not long after, Stolyarov told Gaddy that he could not participate in a meditation session that Gaddy had organized for employees because it violated his religion. This was met with warnings and threats, Stolyarov said.

The lawsuit says that with an increased workload and “malicious rumors” spread by Gaddy and Figueroa, Stolyarov began to experience dizziness, anxiety, loss of sleep, chest pains, high blood pressure, numbness, back pain and muscle pain. On one occasion, he fell down a set of stairs, according to the suit.

A union attorney agreed to conduct mediation, the terms of which required Stolyarov and Figueroa to see a psychologist for 90 days. Two days later, Gaddy put him on administrative leave, Stolyarov said. During the leave, he saw the psychologist and Figueroa did not.

Shortly after that, Stolyarov was fired. “On Oct. 6, 2023, Stolyarov received a termination letter from Gaddy. Stolyarov was unlawfully terminated for the pretextual reason of having a poor work ethic,” the suit says.

“Stolyarov worked tirelessly for over 24 years with glowing reviews from former faculty and staff. Stolyarov was highly qualified for his position yet, after he was terminated, he was replaced with a younger individual. Stolyarov had two degrees and over two decades of experience, making him far more qualified than Figueroa. However, SCCC failed to promote Stolyarov, instead opting for Figueroa who lacked experience and knowledge.”

Attempts to speak with Stolyarov’s attorney, Timothy Prol, were unsuccessful.

Cory Homer, who became SCCC’s interim president after Stolyarov was fired, said college officials would not comment on pending litigation.