A former maintenance worker in New York City jails who claimed he had a mental breakdown after being repeatedly exposed to “horrific scenes of brutality and physical confrontations with inmates” cannot collect Workers’ Compensation benefits, a state appeals court has ruled.
In a 3-2 split, an Appellate Division, Third Department, panel found that the Workers’ Compensation Board did not abuse its discretion when it concluded that John D’Errico, who spent 12 years working for the New York City Department of Correction, had not been exposed to more work-related stress than that normally experienced by similarly situated correctional facility employees.
