TOMS RIVER, N.J. – A Jackson Township employee has filed a lawsuit in Ocean County Superior Court accusing township officials, including Mayor Jennifer Kuhn and the Township of Jackson of workplace harassment, retaliation, and discrimination.
The 15-page complaint, filed November 18, 2025, by personnel officer and purchasing agent Marianne Horta, outlines a series of alleged incidents that she claims created a hostile and retaliatory work environment following her objections to policy and procedural violations within the township.
An affidavit of Service was received by the mayor on January 5th regarding the lawsuit.
Horta, 57, of Toms River, had been employed by Jackson Township since June 2021 and later assumed the dual role of personnel officer and purchasing agent, receiving a $12,000 stipend.
In her filing, she claims she was initially praised as an “asset” to the township before becoming a target of what she describes as a campaign of harassment led by Mayor Kuhn after she raised concerns about administrative practices and compliance issues.
According to the complaint, Horta alleges she was falsely accused of misconduct, stripped of her purchasing agent title, had her duties restricted, and was subjected to repeated hostile emails and verbal criticism from township leadership.
The lawsuit claims her removal as purchasing agent occurred in August 2025 and that her assistant, roughly 20 years younger, was appointed to the role despite lacking the necessary qualifications. The township later hired a consulting firm for $17,500 to assist with purchasing functions.
“Get rid of the retard and his mother by January”
The filing also details alleged retaliation against Horta’s son, Anthony Horta, who worked for the township’s Recreation Department.
Horta claims that following tensions between her and Kuhn, her son was transferred to a less desirable department and targeted by administrators. The lawsuit references a statement allegedly made by a township employee in the summer of 2025, in which that employee reportedly said Mayor Kuhn was planning to “get rid of the retard and his mother by January.”
The comment, cited in the complaint, referred to Anthony, who the filing notes has disabilities including a speech impediment and dyslexia.
Kuhn denies saying that, but her dislike for the Hortas was a well-accepted matter of fact within town hall.
Horta’s lawsuit accuses Kuhn and the township of age-based discrimination, retaliation for whistleblowing, and violations of the New Jersey Conscientious Employee Protection Act (CEPA), the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD), and state public policy. She also claims that she was pressured to retire under threat of termination and was later escorted out of township offices by police after being placed on administrative leave in November 2025.
In addition, Horta alleges Kuhn improperly interfered with confidential personnel and medical matters in violation of privacy and civil service laws.
The complaint claims that Kuhn “repeatedly defied” the Faulkner Act by contacting department heads directly and disregarding administrative protocols, while serving on the township council, prior to being appointed to the position of Mayor to fill the vacancy of former Mayor Michael Reina.
The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages, attorney’s fees, and a jury trial. No response from Jackson Township, Kuhn, or Reina had been filed as of Monday, and township officials have not publicly commented on the case.
