Bergen Man Whose Bosses Gave Him Panic Attacks Awarded $400K In Lawsuit

The Borough of Tenafly will pay a Department of Public Works employee who said his bosses blasted obscenities at him $400,000 as a result of a lawsuit the man filed.

Aaron Perelli of Fort Lee claimed he had nearly daily panic attacks because his he was subject to a hostile work environment, the lawsuit states.

Perelli was a driver for the DPW. He said he was aware that his employers knew he suffered from agoraphobia and a disorder that caused him to have panic attacks if he had to drive to places he'd never been to before, something borough Administrator Jewel Thompson-Chin made him do often, the lawsuit states.

Perelli also claimed that officials refused to assign him to light duty after suffering a back injury from being thrown off a garbage truck a co-worker drove in an unsafe manner. He claimed he was forced to transport asphalt in a wheelbarrow despite him suffering with asthma and bronchitis.

Tenafly agreed via a resolution to pay $250,00o to Perelli immediately and $150,000 following his resignation from the borough on June 30. Perelli will be on administrative leave until then.

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