Oxford Settles Lawsuit Filed By Municipal Employee

The town has settled a lawsuit filed by part-time Inland Wetlands Conservation Officer Andrew Ferrillo who claims he worked full time for years without being compensated like other full-timers.

Ferrillo filed a lawsuit four years ago seeking roughly $130,000 in vacations, holidays, sick days and medical insurance, said First Selectman Mary Ann Drayton-Rogers. Under the terms of the settlement, which the Board of Selectmen approved 2-to-1 Wednesday, Ferrillo will be paid $3,500.

On top of that, he can take a total of $47.5 paid vacation hours, 37.5 paid sick hours, 36 paid holidays, 7.5 paid personal hours for a total of 128.5 paid hours, according to the agreement. Drayton-Rogers said she was not sure what that time would equate to in dollars because they were to be paid over different years at different pay rates, and Ferrillo may have already used some of that time.

Ferrillo was hired in 1996 at 20 hours a week and stated in his lawsuit he was routinely working 36 hours a week when many housing developments were proposed from 2003 to 2007. However, he was only receiving his hourly rate rather than additional perks because he was considered a part-time employee.

Drayton-Rogers said the settlement was negotiated with compromise – for example, Ferrillowanted back pay from 2003 and the town would only give it going back to 2009. Still, she said she voted against it because she disagreed with Ferrillo’s original claim.

“I disagree with Mr. Ferrillo’s basic claim that the position was anything other than part time, as noted in the personnel policy in the town of Oxford,” she said.

Ferrillo, the husband of Board of Finance Chairwoman Lila Ferrillo, will have to sign the settlement before it becomes effective.