David Quinlan, a longtime Bloomfield school janitor who became a symbol of the struggles faced by workers with intellectual disabilities in the workplace, died Tuesday at 72 following a battle with cancer. Quinlan's family sued the Bloomfield School District on his behalf, alleging he was exploited and denied benefits despite working for 35 years. The lawsuit resulted in a $150,000 settlement.
Updated: Jan. 29, 2025, 5:49 p.m.A lawsuit on behalf of David Quinlan highlighted the hurdles workers with intellectual disabilities face in the workforce. He was pictured at his home with his sister Patricia and brother-in-law Bill Mandara on April 19, 2024.
David Quinlan, a longtime Bloomfield school janitor whose story highlighted the hurdles workers with intellectual disabilities face for equal treatment at their jobs, died Tuesday after a battle with cancer, according to his family. He was 72 years old. Quinlan had been in hospice care, said his brother-in-law, William Mandara. His advanced-stage cancer was discovered several months ago after he suffered a fall in their family’s home, Mandara said. Quinlan, a quiet man who thrived on routine, spent 35 years as an unassuming school janitor, riding the bus four miles back-and-forth from his family’s home to put in eight hours each day cleaning classrooms and picking up garbage. But he briefly became a public face of disability rights after his family sued the Bloomfield School District on his behalf, charging it had taken advantage of him by paying him as a minimum wage, per-diem employee throughout his decades on the job.for him and his family: a $150,000 settlement, which the district paid while continuing to deny wrongdoing in its treatment of him. On Wednesday, Quinlan’s lawyers called him an inspiration, remembering him as a “rabid fan” of the Mets who loved his family and trips to the beach. “We the attorneys want the public to know what a great person David was,” Eric Kleiner and Lawrence Kleiner said in a statement. Quinlan was cared for throughout his life by his family, given cognitive limitations in which he struggled to speak and was unable to read. Though he had difficulty communicating, his lawyers said, “inside that barrier was a truly hard working, good and generous human being.”The family sued the school district on his behalf in 2022, charging that despite his long service, he never received health benefits, a pension, vacation days or sick leave. The suit was filed two years after Quinlan was hospitalized with a bladder infection, an illness from which he never returned to work. The suit charged the district violated New Jersey discrimination law by treating Quinlan differently than other custodians, who were able to earn more than double his salary, with a full range of benefits. It also alleged wrongful termination, with Quinlan’s lawyers saying that after his infection, he had no choice but to stop working given his lack of leave. “It is sad to hear of his passing,” said Mercedes Witowsky, the executive director of the New Jersey Council on Development Disabilities, “but I hope the settlement he reached brought him and his loved ones a sense of relief while he was alive.” David Quinlan stood with his sister and legal guardian, Patricia Mandara, outside their Bloomfield home on April 19, 2024.Quinlan started working for the district on Sept. 1, 1985. His family said he likely got the job through his late father, a door-to-door salesman who would drive him to and from work, and later taught him to catch the bus on his own. In legal filings, the school district rejected allegations it exploited him, saying he was paid on a day-to-day basis based on the number of hours he worked and wasn’t entitled to benefits. It also denied Quinlan was fired, saying he voluntarily resigned his position.with NJ Advance Media last year, Quinlan’s sister and legal guardian, Patricia Mandara, said her brother was earning just $12 an hour after 35 years. She and her husband described Quinlan as a dedicated employee whose job at Bloomfield Middle School gave him a sense of purpose and routine that he embraced. The suit brought public attention to what disability advocates call a troubling reality: that families are often reluctant to complain about disparate treatment because they worry their loves ones could lose their jobs if they do. “It’s just a shame the way they treated him all these years,” William Mandara said in April 2024. “They kept telling us, ‘He’s part time. He’s part time.’” In their written statement, Quinlan’s attorneys said his family was thankful for the outpouring of support they received after his story was published in the media. They called Quinlan a “good soul” who was “happier than most people living pay check to pay check.”Riley Yates may be reached at ryates@njadvancemedia.com. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.
DISABILITY RIGHTS WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT
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