The settlement reported byNJ.com was impressive since Tramaglini had only begun his $147,504 a year job in August 2015. He will be paid $61,458 of his remaining $147,500 salary along with severance and more than $20,000 in unused vacation days. It is a curious result since he was committing crimes on school property, but it is not clear that these were his schools. The total settlement will come to $109,868.
Now the man called the “Pooperintendent of Schools,” plans to sue the Holmdel Police Department for photographing him and “maliciously” circulating his mugshot. He claims that this was a minor offense that did not warrant such . . . well . . . exposure.
The problem is that mugshots are generally treated as public information subject to media inquiries and public review. While a misdemeanor, this was a disgusting series of crimes that became a public obsession before the arrest. It is difficult to see the viable tort action as a matter of common law. There may be some specific New Jersey law that they intend to cite but being arrested is generally a public act.