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A New Jersey appellate panel on Friday refused to revive a police training company’s civil rights lawsuit against the New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller, ruling that the company's claim of being targeted for political reasons does not constitute a valid cause of action.

NJ Panel Political Bias Suit : Panel Upholds Subpoena Power

The two-judge appellate panel ruled that the independent state agency, the Office of the State Comptroller, was within its rights to subpoena and review financial records related to a five-day conference held by Street Cop Training in October 2021 in Atlantic City. The event featured Fox News personality Tomi Lahren as a speaker, a point of contention in the company’s lawsuit. Street Cop Training argued it should not have to comply with the subpoena because it is a private company, but the panel disagreed, stating that any entity receiving public funds could be subject to state oversight. Street Cop Training alleged that the comptroller's office specifically targeted it because of Lahren's appearance, noting that four out of the five document requests were linked to the conference. The company claimed this focus was politically motivated, particularly given media coverage that associated the company with Lahren's political views. However, the panel dismissed these claims as “conclusory allegations” without sufficient legal grounding.

NJ Panel Political Bias Suit : Legal Challenge Dismissed

The panel concluded that Street Cop Training’s claims failed to establish a cause of action under the Civil Rights Act (CRA), stating, “Read most liberally, plaintiff's claim sets forth conclusory allegations that it was targeted for a perceived political ideology and does not present a fundament of a cause of action for a CRA violation."