New Jersey Herald
SPARTA - Sparta Councilman Jerry Murphy has lost an appeal in state court over a lawsuit connected to his 2016 drunken driving arrest by township police.
Although the traffic charge was later dismissed in municipal court, Murphy filed suit against the town and several police officers alleging he was the victim of a conspiracy among the officers seeking revenge for budget cuts.
But in a ruling released Tuesday, a state appeals court found that an earlier dismissal, and subsequent request for a rehearing, were both properly decided by a local judge in Sussex County Superior Court.
Murphy was a member of the Sparta Township Council at the time of his arrest and has also served several one-year stints as mayor. He chose not to run for reelection this year and will leave office at the end of the month.