The former clerk for a borough in Hunterdon County claims in a lawsuit she was harassed by the mayor and other officials after she asked for time off to attend mental health counseling sessions.
Rebecca Newman, 51, claims in court papers Mayor Marica Karrow wanted her terminated “without cause or known reasons,” and that the borough repeatedly questioned her requests for time off.
“As a result of the harassment, Newman began to experience extreme emotional and physical upset that required her to seek medical treatment and psychological counseling,” states the lawsuit, filed June 18 in New Jersey Superior Court.
Christopher M. Corsini, the borough attorney, disputed Newman’s claims on Wednesday. “Beyond that, we have no further comment,” Corsini said in an email.
Newman secured therapy sessions with a licensed clinical social worker at Inner Light Counseling of Somerville. Regular appointments were booked for Tuesdays at 11 a.m., according to the suit.
“Newman made her employer aware of her need to attend the counseling appointments and that her mental health was rapidly deteriorating,” the lawsuit says.
Newman at first used sick time to attend counseling, but borough officials allegedly harassed her over it, alleges the suit.
On Oct. 13, 2023, Newman received a letter from the borough’s labor attorney demanding medical documentation that would justify her use of sick time for counseling.
As a result of the alleged treatment by her bosses over the use of sick time for therapy, Newman applied for Family Medical Leave to attend the counseling sessions.
Borough officials approved the FMLA application, but later questioned her about it, according to the suit.
On Nov. 3, 2023, Newman received correspondence from the borough questioning why she needed a day off from work to tend to her medical condition.
“The letter also criticized the plaintiff, stating her absence ‘is not due to illness, but rather to attend a counseling appointment.’”
The letter also warned Newman that if she failed to provide an adequate explanation for the absences, her alleged “abuse of sick time may be grounds for disciplinary action.”
“As a result of exercising her rights under the FMLA, plaintiff was continually harassed and scrutinized, thereby causing her additional mental and emotional upset,” the suit says.
The alleged harassment continued “to the point where plaintiff could no longer tolerate the same and thereafter resigned from employment,” the suit says.
The suit claims borough officials violated the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination and retaliated against her because she sought to medically treat a disability.
Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
