A former employee of Donald Trump's Pine Hill golf course filed suit in state court.
TRENTON -- A former employee at Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's Pine Hill golf course claimed he was fired after complaining about co-workers hitting him with golf balls and rocks and calling him a gay slur while supervisors stood by and did nothing.
Eleazar Andres, a Lindenwold resident who is gay, charged the Trump National Golf Course in May 2015 with violating state law banning discrimination based on one's sexual orientation in a lawsuit filed in state Superior Court in Camden County.
"Defendants created and perpetuated a severe and pervasive work environment," Andres charged in the lawsuit filings, which were obtained by NJ Advance Media. The case is scheduled for mediation.
Andres' attorney, Gregory Noble, did not return phone calls seeking comment. John Nolan, the lawyer of record for the golf club, and Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks also did not respond to requests for comment.
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The alleged harassment occurred in May 2014 after Andres revealed his sexual orientation to his co-workers, according to his complaint. Andres said his fellow employees started calling him "faggot" and threw rocks and golf balls at him, while his supervisor did not move to stop the harassment.
He said had to leave his job for medical treatment after he was hit by a rock thrown by a co-worker, and when another supervisor also refused to take action, he filed a police report and said he did not feel safe coming to work. The golf club responded by firing him, Andres said in the legal filing.
The lawsuit surfaced in the midst of a tough presidential campaign between Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton. Trump trails Clinton in a series of recent polls.
Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.