A judge awarded Newark Business Administrator Eric Pennington $500,000 in compensatory damages after finding resident Kevin Jenkins’ social-media claims that developers gave money to city officials false and defamatory.
Pennington filed the suit April 2, alleging that Jenkins’ March posts said developers were going into Pennington’s and Mayor Ras J. Baraka’s offices and giving them money. Baraka was not a plaintiff; the order neither quotes the post nor identifies the social-media platform.
The Sept. 10 order cited reputational harm and erosion of Pennington’s future earning capacity as factors in the damages. Findings of liability and damage awards in New Jersey defamation cases can be appealed. Jenkins did not respond to NJ.com’s request for comment through his wife, who declined to comment; a Baraka spokesperson also did not respond.
