Labor & Employment Law

 VERDICTS IN FAVOR OF EMPLOYEES

• A jury in Ohio awarded a whopping $47 million to an employee in an age discrimination case.  The employee alleged that he was fired after he refused to fire three older workers because of concerns about age discrimination and disability discrimination.  The verdict included $3.5 million as compensation for lost wages and $43.1 million in punitive damages.  An article about the case appears here.

• A jury in New Jersey returned a verdict of nearly $11 million in favor of an employee in an age discrimination case.  The award included $325,500 in back pay, $167,500 in front pay, $250,000 in emotional distress damages, and $10 million in punitive damages. The employee who filed the lawsuit was earning about $87,000 a year when he was fired, and the company reportedly offered only $80,000 to settle the case before trial.  An article about the case can be found here.

• A Connecticut jury awarded $4 million to an employee in an employment retaliation case under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.  A description of the case and links to documents can be found here. 

• A Colorado jury returned a verdict for $1.4 million in favor an employee in a whistle-blower lawsuit.  The employee was driving to the intensive care unit to see her sister, who was dying of kidney and liver failure, when the company called her to tell her she was being terminated.  She sued for wrongful discharge and alleged that she was fired for blowing the whistle on fraud and illegal sales practices.  An article about the case can be found here.

• A jury in Mississippi awarded nearly $1.2 million to three college athletic coaches who alleged that they were discriminated against based on sex and retaliated against.  An article about the case appears here.

• A jury in Massachusetts awarded a verdict of $770,000 in favor of a former police chief who filed an employment discrimination lawsuit alleging that he was discriminated against because he served in the National Guard.  An article about the case appears here.

• A jury in Missouri awarded a verdict of $337,000 to an Arab-American who alleged that he was subjected to harassment and a hostile work environment after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the U.S. invasion of Iraq.  An article about the case appears here. 

• A Massachusetts jury awarded a verdict of $150,000 to a female employee who alleged that she was retaliated against at work because she filed a sex discrimination complaint.  An article about the case appears here. 

VERDICTS IN FAVOR OF EMPLOYERS

• A jury in Lincoln, California, deliberated for less than three hours before delivering a verdict in favor of a school district in a wrongful termination and employment discrimination suit filed by former special education teacher.  A link the article appears here.

• A jury in Indiana returned a verdict in favor of an employer in a case involving allegations of race discrimination.  The employee, who was Caucasian, sued over a promotion and argued that the job was given to a black applicant because of discriminatory motives.  The jury deliberated for only 30 minutes.  An article about the case appears here.