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Man Earns Nearly $47 Million for NOT Firing Employees

By Ethisphere.com

An Ohio jury awarded $46.7 million to a former general manager of Republic Services, a waste collection company, after it found he was wrongfully fired. Ronald Luri was asked to fire three employees, all over the age of 60, and he refused, arguing that doing so would constitute age discrimination.

Luri?s boss, Jim Bowen, later fired him, citing ?inadequate performance and failure to follow the directives of his superiors,? according to court documents. Luri?s lawyers pointed to an email that was found to have been tampered with by Bowen, who added extra paragraphs ripping into Luri?s job performance. This piece of evidence struck a chord with the jurors.

Their responses, according to Cleveland.com:

?I think it was personal, that they were out to get him,? said juror Jamie Spafford of Strongsville.

?We wanted to send a clear message that this was unjustly done and that they tried to ruin his career,? said jury foreman Brian Wildman of North Olmsted.

Who knew anti-ageism could be so lucrative? The astronomical award, made up of $3.5 million in lost wages and $43.1 million in punitive damages, is the largest in Ohio history. Republic Services plans to appeal the decision.

Full post as published by Ethisphere Blog - Good. Smart. Business. Profit. on July 14, 2008 (boomark / email).