$1.2M Settlement Reached With Haddonfield Schools Employees: Report

HADDONFIELD, NJ — The Haddonfield school district will pay a combined $1.2 million to settle a lawsuit filed by two employees who said a supervisor sexually harassed them, a report said.

The district admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement with Kathleen Petrucelli and Dana Stevens, who claimed a district administrator harassed them between Dec. 2014 and July 2016, records show.

Petrucelli and Stevens were both payroll specialists during the time in question. They alleged that John "Chris" Oberg, former business administrator and school board secretary, sexually harassed them and violated New Jersey's Law Against Discrimination (LAD).

Oberg was second only to the superintendent in terms of influence, documents said. One of the plaintiffs said she was so uncomfortable with his conduct that she would hide in a closet or plan other ways to avoid being alone with him. The lawsuit also claims the district's superintendent at the time, Richard Perry, failed to act on the plaintiffs' claims.

The settlement was reached in July, according to court records: an agreement obtained by the Cherry Hill Courier-Post shows the district paid Stevens $587,500 and paid Petrucelli $590,000.

Court documents show parties agreed on a settlement to avoid the case going to trial.

Leo B. Dubler III, a Mount Laurel attorney who represented the plaintiffs, said Petrucelli and Stevens were courageous in speaking up against sexual harassment.

"Sexual harassment can occur anywhere, even in the wealthiest towns," said Dubler in a statement. "Sexual harassers can be low level employees all the way up to the heads of large organizations.

"It’s hard to speak up, and sadly, many women never do," Dubler continued. "I am proud to represent both of them."

Petrucelli claimed Oberg started making inappropriate comments to her and touching her inappropriately around December 2014, court documents show. She said his conduct at a work dinner in July 2015 made her so uncomfortable, she left the event early.

Petrucelli said she witnessed Oberg sexually harass Stevens after she was hired in September 2015. Stevens claimed Oberg forced her to slow dance with him in the middle of the office at one point, and also said he made inappropriate comments to her and touched her without consent.