A longtime Fair Lawn librarian has filed a lawsuit claiming gender discrimination after he was disciplined, fired and then had his hours cut after he won reinstatement.
Alexander Cardillo, who has worked at the Maurice M. Pine Library since 2004, claims in the lawsuit that Library Director Adele Puccio systematically favored female employees over male staff and unfairly cut his hours before eventually firing him.
Cardillo, 36, also alleges that Puccio retaliated against him after he discussed pay concerns with colleagues and later violated a settlement agreement that reinstated his job.
The lawsuit filed Feb. 13 in Bergen County Superior Court names the Borough of Fair Lawn, the library and Puccio as defendants.
Puccio and borough officials did not immediately respond on Thursday to messages seeking comment on the suit.
Cardillo worked primarily at the library's reference desk and has a master's degree in library science and a New Jersey librarian certification, according to the lawsuit.
Cardillo claims in the lawsuit that Puccio, who became director in 2016, has hired only one male employee during her tenure, and that male staff represent a small fraction of the library's workforce.
Cardillo alleges Puccio attempted to cut his hours in December 2022 after hiring a new female employee. He says he successfully appealed the decision to the Library Board, which restored his schedule.
When the library closed temporarily in February 2023 for elevator repairs, Cardillo and other employees discussed whether they would be paid during the shutdown at an informal gathering, according to the lawsuit.
Shortly afterward, Puccio reprimanded only Cardillo, the lawsuit claims.
Days later, Cardillo was removed from the work schedule, then formally accused of violating library confidentiality policies.
At a disciplinary hearing in April 2023, Puccio accused him of harassment without providing evidence, according to the lawsuit.
In September, the library issued a final notice terminating his employment retroactively, according to the lawsuit.
After more than a year of legal battles, Cardillo and the Library Board reached a settlement in February 2024 that allowed him to return to work in March, according to the lawsuit.
However, Puccio immediately cut his hours to six per week, denied him additional shifts that were given to female employees and excluded him from workplace communications, according to the lawsuit.
Puccio also violated the settlement agreement by disclosing its terms to outside parties and continued to promote female employees over Cardillo without posting job openings as required, according to the lawsuit.
After a female employee resigned in December, Puccio again hired a female replacement rather than restoring his previous hours, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit accuses the borough, library, and Puccio of violating the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination by retaliating against Cardillo for discussing wages and discriminating against him based on gender.