Warwick Faces Federal Lawsuit - Over Water Division Director’s Alleged Anti-Semitism and Retaliation

Warwick Faces Federal Lawsuit - Over Water Division Director’s Alleged Anti-Semitism and Retaliation

The City of Warwick, the Warwick Water Division, and Warwick Mayor Frank Picozzi have been named as defendants in a new lawsuit filed in federal court. 

It marks the latest since GoLocal first reported in June that former Warwick Water employee Bree Boulais alleged she was sexually harassed by department director Terry DiPetrillo in a federal lawsuit. 

Now, Warwick Water Division employee Peter Broomfield has sued the city in federal court over an incident in which DiPetrillo reportedly told a “Nazi joke” and slapped Broomfield in the face as the “punchline.”

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DiPetrillo, who was arrested for the alleged assault, was suspended for that incident by the city - before taking months of paid medical leave this summer following Boulais’s lawsuit and claims. 

In the 35-page complaint filed in United States Federal Court on Thursday by attorney Paige Munro Delotto, Broomfield, who says he is of Jewish descent, says the “Nazi joke” incident violated his protections under state and federal law. 

He also says that during the course of his employment, that he participated in investigations about the sexual harassment of his coworker Boulais, and “those protected acts afford him protections under the anti-retaliation provision.”

 

Outlining Events

“After [Boulais] started working in [Broomfield’s] department, it became apparent that the leadership of the Water Department fostered an unlawful, hostile work environment; the hostility quickly escalated to retaliation against those who opposed the unlawful behavior in the office,” according to the lawsuit filed this week. 

Broomfield says he witnessed the alleged incident in which DiPetrillo said “I believe I left my socks by your bedside” to Boulais, which made him “extremely uncomfortable.” 

He goes on to state in the lawsuit that on August 8, 2023, DiPetrillo asked him, Boulais, and colleague Michael St. Pierre to come into his office saying he wanted to tell a joke.

The lawsuit says,” Once everyone was in Plaintiff’s office, Mr. Terry DiPetrillo asked [Broomfield] to stand up so he could tell him the joke as Ms. Boulais and Mr. St. Pierre were the audience. DiPetrillo then, standing close to Plaintiff, said, “This is my Nazi joke. Knock knock??”

The lawsuit then continues:

“Importantly, at all times relevant, Mr. Terry DiPetrillo knew that Plaintiff was of Jewish descent. [Broomfield] began to say, ‘Who’s there?’ [and] before the words even left Broomfield’s mouth, Terry DiPetrillo, ‘open palm slapped Broomfield across the face’ and 'the sound of the slap was audible,’” according to the lawsuit.

“Nazi joke,” DiPetrillo reportedly said as his “punchline.” 

“DiPetrillo’s targeting of [Broomfield] to be the subject of his 'Nazi joke' was degrading because he is of Jewish descent,” according to the lawsuit. 

Broomfield then alleged that the following occurred later in the day, when he was with Boulais at St. Pierre in the parking lot. 

“Mr. St. Pierre commented on Mayor Picozzi saying, ‘At this point, I have to believe that the Mayor is turning a blind eye, referring to how Mr. Terry DiPetrillo was able to abuse [Broomfield] and Ms. Boulais despite all of their prior reports to superiors and HR,” according to the lawsuit.

Broomfield says he inquired with the city about who was responsible for reporting assaults, to which a city employee told him, “They have no obligation to do that.”

Further, Broomfield says he tried to transfer to work in another department and said he was refused; he informed the city that he would not be returning to work at the Water Division, as he could “not work with DiPetrillo any longer."

“Broomfield now believes that he was effectively terminated that day and has never been asked to return to work,” according to the lawsuit.

He was “only a few short years from vesting in the 10-year pension level which means his effective termination has lost him hundreds of thousands of dollars of pension money,” states the lawsuit. 

The suit is alleging four counts — religious and/or ethnic discrimination in violation of the federal and state Civil Rights Acts and Rhode Island Fair Employment Practices Act; retaliatory termination in violation of the same Acts; gender and sex retaliation under the same Acts (for Broomfield's defense of Boulais) and then Deprivation of Rights under the United States Constitution by “physical assault by a state actor” - DiPetrillo.

Munro-Delotto did not respond to request for comment at time of publication

The City of Warwick said it could not comment on the legal matter.