Peter Verniero

Peter Verniero, a former New Jersey Supreme Court justice and state attorney general, was hired by Gov. Phil Murphy to review hiring and vetting practices amid the rapidly unfolding scandal involving allegations of sexual assault against a former staffer and transition team member.

Albert J. Alvarez, who resigned as New Jersey Schools Development Authority chief of staff earlier this month, is accused of assaulting a woman while he was working on Murphy's transition team in early 2017.

Verniero, a partner at Newark-based Sills Cummis and chairman of the corporate internal investigations and appellate practice groups, said in a message Monday that he couldn't comment on the engagement. But he issued a statement saying that he and his firm were hired by Murphy to “undertake a systemic review of the hiring and vetting practices of the Governor-elect's transition office, including the hiring and vetting of Mr. Albert J. Alvarez, regarding his position in the transition office and his eventual position at the New Jersey Schools Development Authority.”

The allegations were levied by Katie Brennan, chief of staff at the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, who came forward in a Wall Street Journal report Sunday.

In that report, Alvarez, through his lawyer, John Hogan of Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer in Woodbridge, denied the allegations.

Hogan, reached by phone Monday, declined to comment to the Law Journal but offered the same statement: “Mr. Alvarez absolutely, positively denies the allegations of sexual assault.”

Brennan claims she hit multiple dead ends in reporting the assault to law enforcement, and the Murphy administration has come under fire for keeping Alvarez employed during the time since the alleged incident. Murphy, though, recently said he learned of the allegations only when Alvarez resigned Oct. 2, according to reports.

Alvarez is an attorney, reports have noted.

With its hiring practices in the spotlight, the administration turned to Verniero,

“The Governor spoke with me today,” Verniero said in his Monday statement. “In our conversation, he asked that, after a thorough review, I provide his administration with a summary of the hiring and vetting practices, including any items for improvement or reform.”

He added, “I expect to complete this review by the end of year and to report my findings to the Administration.”

Verniero also said he was “assured that I will have complete independence to request interviews with whomever I deem appropriate as fact witnesses as well as access to relevant documents.”

Verniero served as Gov. Christine Todd Whitman's attorney general from 1996 to 1999, and before that as her chief counsel and chief of staff. He served on the state Supreme Court from 1999 until August 2004, when he joined Sills Cummis. He retired two years before his term on the high court ended, facing an uphill climb for tenure. Questions and criticisms were raised at the time about Verniero's alleged role in or knowledge of New Jersey State Police racial profiling practices during the time that Verniero, as attorney general, oversaw the agency.

Verniero has had a notable career as a private practitioner since, and is no stranger to significant client engagements, including by sitting governors. For example, in 2011, he was selected by Paula Dow, then Gov. Chris Christie's attorney general, to defend in court the administration's decision to cease fully funding the School Funding Reform Act of 2008 because of budget shortfalls.