Litigation

Supreme Court allows $3 Million Dollar Retaliatory Award Stand

By Mark P. Loftus, Esq.

According to a recent Chicago Daily Law Bulletin article, the United States Supreme Court has elected not to intervene in Chicago-area case retaliatory discharge case where the plaintiff secured a jury verdict of $2.8 million dollars in punitive damages. The plaintiff in the case, Jerri Blount, had alleged that Joseph Stroud, the owner of Jovon Broadcasting, retaliated against her when she supported a co-worker in a federal discrimination lawsuit against Jovon.
Blount alleged that Stroud instructed her not to testify in the other case. Blount further alleged that after she refused to follow Stroud's directive, she was fired. In November of 2005, a Cook County jury awarded Blount more than $3 million dollars in damages.

The case has been bouncing around on appeal for several years. In June, 2009 the Illinois First District Appellate Court upheld the jury verdict. Last January, the Illinois Supreme Court refused to hear the defense appeal that the punitive damages were excessive.

Congrats to Ms. Blount's attorneys, Martin A. Dolan and Robin B. Potter.

Full post as published by Illinois Lawyer Blog on November 12, 2010 (boomark / email).