Phillipsburg, N.J., August 15, 2005 - The New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division upheld dismissal of a "whistle blower" case brought against Franklin Township by a township employee resulting in a positive verdict for the township and Florio & Perrucci, LLC.

David E. Cassidy, the chair of Florio & Perrucci's labor and employment law practice group, successfully argued that his clients did not violate the Conscientious Employee Protection Act (CEPA) or the Uniform Construction Code Act (UCCA) as alleged by the Township's former construction official.

To reduce costs and increase efficiency, the municipalities of Hardyston Township, Borough of Hamburg and Borough of Franklin entered into an Interlocal Service Agreement (ISA) to share administrative costs for Uniform Construction Code services. After several years, the ISA was dissolved. The Superior Court and Appellate Division ruled that the dissolution of the ISA did not result in a violation of CEPA or the UCCA by Franklin.

Mr. Cassidy represented Franklin Township and its former mayor and administrator. The defendants denied taking any wrongful action against the employee for any alleged "whistle-blowing" tactics, and the court agreed. Therefore, the township has again been found to not have engaged in any inappropriate decisions regarding its actions and that it acted appropriately at all times.

As chair of Florio & Perrucci's labor and employment practice, Mr. Cassidy has extensive experience in representing businesses, organizations and municipalities in human resources matters. In addition to his work with Franklin Township, Mr. Cassidy is the labor counsel for the Boroughs of Alpha and Bloomfield, N.J.

Florio & Perrucci, LLC, with offices in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, was founded by Governor Jim Florio and Michael Perrucci. Key practice areas include land use and real estate, environmental, labor and employment, and personal injury law. To learn more about the firm, please visit the website at www.florioperrucci.com.