FREEHOLD - A civil suit that claimed a trio of Monmouth County Sheriff's Officers violated the civil rights of a New Jersey man has been unanimously reversed and dismissed, Sheriff Shaun Golden announced Monday.

In Dec. 2010, Monmouth County Sheriff's Officers Alexander Torres and Thomas Ruocco executed a child support warrant on Eric Morillo, while he was sitting in a vehicle in the driveway of his mother's Monmouth County home, where he also reportedly resided.

Morillo advised the sheriff's officers that he had a loaded weapon, which he surrendered and claimed he had the paperwork on. However, while Morillo was being processed, the supervisor on duty, Sgt. Steven Cooper, was made aware of Morillo's statements and contacted the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, which advised him to charge Morillo with a weapons offense, the sheriff's office said.

After receiving subsequent confirmation from the N.J. State Police that the gun was properly registered, the weapons charge was dismissed.

Morillo subsequently filed a complaint against Torres, Ruocco and Cooper claiming they violated his civil rights.

The defense argued the qualified immunity defense on behalf of the officers, which provides immunity against liability for civil damages sought against an officer performing a discretionary function when the function does not violate constitutional or statutory rights, and sought dismissal of the complaint, the Sheriff's Office said.

The trial court and Appellate Division both ruled in Morillo's favor.

On Monday, however, the New Jersey Supreme Court reverse the lower courts' findings that qualified the applied immunity for the officers and dismissed Morillo's complaint in its entirety, the Sheriff's Office said in a release.

"These officers acted with restraint and prudence in the face of a confusing situation. They stated that they tried to act cautiously and could not dismiss the possibility that a chargeable weapons offense should be added to the plaintiff's arrest on the child-support warrant. The sheriff's officers on the scene sough guidance from their supervisor and the supervisor sought the advice from the prosecutor's office," the court ruled, according to the sheriff's office release.

Golden commended the Monmouth County Counsel for its victory in the case.

"Their outstanding work is a direct result of the unanimous ruling by he N.J. Supreme Court, which provides guidance for the future," Golden said in a release. "This unanimous decision supports and reinforces that the actions taken by our officers, proves they acted accordingly, and, in the most professional manner."

Rob Spahr may be reached at rspahr@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TheRobSpahr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.