Widow of officer files tort claim against city
TRENTON >> The widowed spouse of South Jersey politician and Trenton policeman Ed Leopardi has notified the city she may file a federal lawsuit alleging “wrongful death.”
Rene Pistilli-Leopardi’s notice of tort claim says she has “suffered economic damages and noneconomic damages related to pain and suffering, and anguish and emotional distress” and that she is “entitled to putative damages” as a direct result of her husband committing suicide last year amid an investigation into his suspected official misconduct.
The 47-year-old Leopardi died Sept. 21, 2016, by shooting himself in the chest at his residence in Franklin Township, Gloucester County, according to his autopsy report. He was a popularly elected sitting committeeman in Franklin Township and a longtime Trenton police officer who was under investigation on accusations he was having on-duty sexual relations with a prostitute.
The notice suggests Pistilli-Leopardi may sue the city and states: “On or about September 21, 2016, presently unknown agents, officers, or employees of the City of Trenton Police Department improperly released details of an ongoing internal affairs investigation of Ed Leopardi to the press.”
The notice does not include any attached evidence to substantiate its allegations but references an article published online by The Trentonian that broke the news about Leopardi being under investigation. Pistilli-Leopardi disputes the accuracy of the newspaper’s reporting. Her notice of tort claim states: “Upon information and belief, the article contains false information with regard to the allegations against Mr. Leopardi. Immediately upon learning of the articles’ publications, Mr. Leopardi committed suicide at his home.”
The Trentonian published an initial online breaking news story at 1:25 p.m. Sept. 21, 2016, reporting the fact that Leopardi was under investigation in connection with a highly explicit sex scandal. Prior to breaking that news, The Trentonian contacted Leopardi’s cellphone at 11:25 a.m. and left him a voicemail message requesting comment.
Reports of the investigation surfaced the previous day from several news outlets but did not name any of the officers being investigated.
Leopardi eventually shot himself in the chest at approximately 2:15 p.m. and died a few seconds later, according to a slightly redacted abstract of death certificate that The Trentonian obtained from Gloucester County’s custodian of records. The county recently released that information in response to The
Trentonian filing a legally persuasive Open Public Records Act challenge seeking the time of death. Dr. Thomas Pierce Love pronounced Leopardi dead at 3:02 p.m.
Blaney and Karavan, a law firm based in Avalon, sent Pistilli-Leopardi’s tort claim notice to the city of Trenton via UPS overnight delivery on Dec. 16, 2016. The City Clerk’s Office stamped a seal of receipt dated Dec. 21, 2016.
The notice suggests Pistilli-Leopardi, 52, could potentially file a civil lawsuit in the Superior Court of New Jersey’s Law Division or in U.S. District Court against the city.
Trenton’s municipal government does not comment on pending litigation.
In addition to alleging wrongful death, the notice also accuses the city of invasion of privacy, false light and defamation and further accuses city officers, agents or employees of acting with malice and reckless disregard for the widowed claimant. The notice lists several “witnesses to the accident or occurrence,” including The Trentonian, Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri and Gloucester County Medical Examiner Gerald Feigin. The Trentonian attempted to reach Pistilli-Leopardi’s lawyer William G. Blaney for comment Wednesday afternoon but had not received an emailed response or returned phone call from him as of 8 p.m.