Lawyers seek dismissal of harrassment case

Vernon - Lawyers for Vernon Police, the township, former Mayor Austin Carew and Andrea “Bunny” Cocula, will file for a dismissal of the case against them instituted on behalf of former Vernon Councilman RichardCarson. In a document released April 12 describing the grounds for dismissal, lawyers claim that it is warranted “for failure to state a claim.” Carson had filed his case under the state’s racketeering statutes, claiming that laws NJ he’d been strong-armed into quitting the council. Lawyers for the defendants in this case contest that those laws apply. Carson’s suit alleged that the authorities and Cocula, a member of the township’s Republican committee, initiated a campaign of intimidation to get him to resign from council. It sought punative and compensatory damages.