A New Jersey Superior Court judge has ruled that a lawsuit filed against the Mountainside Police Department claiming a hostile work environment may proceed.

MyCentralJersey.com reports that Judge Camille Kenny denied a motion by the borough to dismiss the suit brought by several members of the police department.

The 45-page lawsuit was filed in May and claimed that department superiors used a sex toy to harass the plaintiffs and subjected them to homophobic and racial slurs.

The plaintiffs include five men and one woman.

The borough says that the allegations are frivolous. Attorneys say that the plaintiffs haven't backed up claims of a hostile work environment or that they were retaliated against.

They also argue the claims aren't valid because they involve alleged behavior directed at both men and women.