A former high school teacher who had a psychological breakdown after working with "feral" students has been awarded $550,000 in compensation, bringing his total payout to $1.279 million.
Peter Doulis was today awarded $550,000 for future earnings by the Supreme Court after being awarded $770,000 in damages earlier this month.
Mr Doulis, a former teacher at Werribee College in Victoria, suffered a psychological breakdown after he was assigned to work with difficult students between 1998 and 2004.
He described the students as "feral," claiming one brought a makeshift flame thrower to class and burnt another student's clothing with it, the ABC reports.
He said environment had put him under immense stress and anxiety.
The court held that school had breached its duty of care to Mr Doulis by not removing him from the classes.
Mr Doulis's lawyer, Michael Magazanik, said the payout was significant but would only go some way to helping restore his client's mental state.
"Peter was severely damaged by his experience at Werribee Secondary College and there's no quick fixes here," Mr Magazanik said.
"This win doesn't immediately repair his mental health."
"Peter succeeded because he was able to prove that he brought to the attention of the principals at Werribee Secondary College the fact that his health was in steep decline.
"The school sat on its hands and did nothing for him."
