New Jersey agrees to $350 hourly rate in probe of assault handling

(AP) - New Jersey officials agreed to a rate of up to $350 an hour for an investigation into Gov. Phil Murphy administration's hiring practices following a sexual assault allegation.
The Office of the Attorney General released the agreement Monday between the state and former state Supreme Court justice Peter Verniero, whose firm is handling the probe.
The Democratic governor said last month Verniero would look into his administration's handling of Katie Brennan's allegation, which came out in a Wall Street Journal article.
Brennan, the top staffer at the state's housing mortgage agency, accused Albert Alvarez, of sexually assaulting her in April 2017.
Alvarez denied the allegations though his attorney.
He resigned as a staffer at the Schools Development Authority last month and had worked on Murphy's campaign last year.
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