State’s top court upholds charges against school board clerk

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- The New Jersey Supreme Court says a northern New Jersey school board clerk can face charges for taking confidential documents as part of her whistle-blower lawsuit against the board.

Ivonne Saavedra filed her suit against the North Bergen school board in 2009, claiming gender, ethnic and sexual discrimination. In 2012, she was indicted on theft and official misconduct charges for taking the documents.

Saavedra sought to dismiss the charges, arguing that the state failed to present sufficient evidence and withheld evidence from the grand jury. But Hudson County prosecutors argued that employees cannot take confidential employer records to prove a discrimination suit.

In their ruling issued Tuesday, the justices voted 6-1 to let the indictment stand.

Saavedra faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

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