Awards and Accolades

February 2, 2006

Kevin Costello named a ‘Champion for Equality’ by Garden State Equality

Calling Kevin an outstanding and ‘straight, but not narrow,’ advocate for equal marriage rights in New Jersey, Garden State Equality named him one of their ‘Champions’ for Equality at their largest and final town hall meeting before the New Jersey Supreme Court entertains argument in the Lewis (equal marriage rights for same sex couples) matter this February, 2006.

Kevin has lectured and written in support of equal civil marriage rights for all citizens of New Jersey and the United States, no matter their genders or sexual orientation. He also serves as one of the amicus counsel (‘friend of the Court’) on the Lewis matter.

“When rights are denied to any one of us, it diminishes all of us,” Kevin says. “Lawyers should always speak out for the most vulnerable, most imposed upon, members of our society. When the least among us are treated unfairly, eventually, the rest of us will suffer. A great society always has a sense of fairness, restraint, and open-heartedness. Equal marriage rights are a way to express that civic character.”

Kevin continues the fight.

Historic Overtime Lawsuit Class Action Filed

Citing the defendants’ callous attempt to get around New Jersey Wage and Hour laws requiring overtime for most workers, Kevin M. Costello attorney has joined with Philadelphia counsel to file a historic class action lawsuit against two of the largest discount real estate brokerage firms operating in New Jersey, Foxtons and YHD. The suit is currently progressing through the courts and arbitration.

A Victory for Municipal Employees!

On February 9, 2006, at 6:45pm Kevin Costello and his client, Steven Grater, a parks worker for Teaneck's Department of Public Works, waited for the jury to return its verdict.

Mr. Grater was standing up to the retaliation and cover-up by Teaneck’s municipal management stemming from sexually abusive language directed at him by the former Superintendent of the Department of Public Works. He was also hoping the jury would see the truth in his claim that because he refused to sign a paper put in front of him by the former superintendent, a paper he thought to be fraudulent, Mr. Grater was then transferred and his career sabotaged.

At 6:48pm, Mr. Grater learned that the jury had been with him all the way. In granting total damages in the amount of just over $300,000.00, the jury found that, even when there’s no sexual interest, a man using sexually humiliating language against another man still breaks New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination. It also found that transferring someone in retaliation for not signing a paper he thought might contain factually incorrect information was a violation Conscientious Employee Protection Act (New Jersey’s ‘Whistleblower’ Law).

And this isn’t the end. In the months to come, Mr. Grater and his counsel, Kevin Costello, will petition the appeals court for a reinstatement of a request for punitive damages, which could mean more trouble for Teaneck, and there is a fee petition due from Mr. Costello which could increase the total damages by another $100,000.00.

Kevin Costello Files Class Action Against Visiting Nurse Companies

Citing routine abuse of New Jersey’s Wage and Hour law, Kevin Costello filed in March a class action against a number of visiting nursing companies doing business in New Jersey and which employ visiting nurses to care for the infirm and the elderly.

The suit claims that overtime pay was due hundreds of nurses over the years, but never paid. The suit, captioned Woznicki v. Preferred Health Mate Inc, et als, was filed in March. More news as the suit develops.