The Laconic Law Blog

Today’s update on recent jury verdicts and settlements after the page break.

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MA — Jury awards former Cambridge city worker $4.5 million in retaliation lawsuit.  The verdict includes $3.5 million in punitive damages.  Another article is here.

CO — Boulder postal worker wins $200,000 in racial discrimination and harassment lawsuit.

NY — EEOC settles sex bias lawsuit against state corrections department for almost $1 million.  The case involved allegations of disparate treatment in medical leave benefits.

NY — Tavern on the Green agrees to pay $2.2 million to settle a discrimination and harassment action filed by the EEOC alleging harassment against females and minorities.  According to the EEOC’s press release, “The EEOC charged in the case that Tavern on the Green engaged in severe and pervasive sexual, racial, and national origin harassment of female, black, and Hispanic employees. The sexual harassment included graphic comments and demands for various sex acts, as well as groping of women’s buttocks and breasts. The racial and national origin harassment included epithets toward black and Hispanic employees and ridiculing Hispanics for their accents. The restaurant also retaliated against employees for refusing to consent to and/or objecting to the harassment, according to the EEOC.”  A consent decree has been submitted to the U.S. District Court in New York for approval of the settlement terms.

The Delaware Employment Law Blog has a post on the Tavern on the Green settlement here.

A federal jury in the Eastern District of Virginia has awarded plaintiff Worldwide Network Services, LLC $15 million in a lawsuit against DynCorp International.  The award included $5 million in compensatory damages and $10 million in punitive damages.  DynCorp prevailed on one counterclaim, recovering $175,000.  Press coverage of the verdict can be found here and here.

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FL — Florida jury awards prison guards $630,000 in sexual harassment case.

PA — Former police officers win $10 million in retaliation lawsuit in Philadelphia.

IA — Postal worker awarded $382,500 in racial discrimination lawsuit in Iowa.  Additional coverage here.

NJ — Jury awards Orkin employee $5.1 million in whistle-blower lawsuit in New Jersey.

IA — Woman awarded $250,000 in sexual harassment case against landlord.  Additional coverage here.

DC — Former director of audits at HUD awarded $488,000 in age and gender discrimination and retaliation case.  The award will be reduced to $300,000 per the damage caps under Title VII.  The plaintiff was removed from her position and reassigned involuntarily.

MD — Church awarded $3.7 million in zoning discrimination lawsuit against county.

CA — U.S. Court of Appeals affirms $1,000,000+ verdict in sexual harassment case involving EEOC and farm worker.

CA — State court of appeals affirms $1.8 million employment verdict against Sybase.

TX — State trooper formerly part of governor’s security detail wins racial discrimination and retaliation lawsuit.  The jury awarded $520,000 in lost wages and $100,000 for mental suffering.  His attorneys are expected to seek $260,000 in fees and costs.  (Additional coverage here.)

CA — 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upholds $600,000 jury verdict for prison guard subjected to sexual harassment by inmates.

NM — EEOC announces $250,000 settlement of race discrimination case against Coca-Cola Bottling Co.

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PA — 12 Teachers win $1.2 million in age and gender discrimination lawsuit in Pittsburgh.  The case involved teachers from other school districts who were hired at the lowest pay grade.  They alleged that subsequent hires of younger men were at higher salaries.

CA — $4.1 million jury verdict in sexual assault case.  The plaintiff worked as a security guard for an outside contractor providing services to California Department of General Services.  She alleged that her supervisor forced her to perform oral sex on him and later raped her.  On cross-examination, the supervisor took the Fifth Amendment when about these allegations.  The jury deliberated for 30 minutes before returning a verdict for the plaintiff against the outside contractor.  The Department of General Services and the supervisor settled with the plaintiff before trial for $250,000 and $50,000 respectively.

VA — “Butt print” artist receives $65,000 in settlement with school district in First Amendment wrongful discharge lawsuit.   The former high school teached in Richmond, Virginia, was fired after a YouTube video surfaced showing his unique painting method.

MA — $350,000 verdict in favor of nine American Airlines skycaps over the charging of a $2 fee by the airline for curbside luggage service.  The skycaps alleged that the airline violated the Massachusetts Tips law by not disclosing that the fee was not a tip.  (Commentary on the verdict from The Washington Post here.)

MS — U.S. district judge orders new trial in sexual harassment case resulting in $757,000 jury verdict against Jackson Fire Department.

CA — $6.5 million verdict against Kelly Services for discrimination.  The plaintiff claimed that she was not promoted because she was not part of the same religious group as other workers.  Another story is here.

Kansas City — $2.1 million verdict against city in reverse discrimination case.  The plaintiff was a candidate for a municipal judgeship but claimed she was passed over because the city wanted a minority candidate.  An editorial is here.

IL — Story on defense verdict in sexual harassment case.  The plaintiff alleged that his boss showed up in silk pajamas on a business trip and tried to seduce him.

LA — EEOC announces that Centenary College will pay $200,000 to settle sex discrimination case.  The case involved the termination of the women’s basketball coach allegedly because she had a child.

CO — EEOC announces that Dillards will pay $500,000 to settle a sexual harassment class action case involving 12 women who were allegedly harassed by an assistant store manager in two states.

MA — Former police Sgt. awarded $400,000 in punitive damages by jury in sexual harassment lawsuit against city.

CA — Ex-security guard awarded $827,500 in sexual assault case.  She previously settled claims against other defendants for $300,000.  The jury returns April 10 to consider her claims for punitive damages.

MA — The EEOC announced a $1.5 million settlement, as well as significant injunctive relief, on behalf of African American workers who were racially harassed and then retaliated against for complaining about it.

CA — The Manpower Employment Law Blawg also has a story on a $1.4 million verdict in California.

NY — Consent decree entered between employer and Department of Labor requires employer to repay $1.5 million into pension fund due to underfunding and improper transfer of fund assets.

St. Louis — Woman awarded over $1 million by jury in sexual harassment lawsuit.  The plaintiff claimed that the CEO of her employer “made repeated sexual advances that she resisted, threw her onto a bed on a trip to Chicago, made frequent sexual innuendoes in her presence, often commented about her anatomy and finally fired her.”

On March 3, 2008, a Los Angeles jury awarded two Fire Captains a total of $1.6 million in a reverse discrimination case.  Local news coverage of the case can be found here, here and here.  According to the L.A. Times, “Capts. John Tohill and Chris Burton sued the city in October 2006, alleging that they were made scapegoats for the misconduct of a Latino firefighter who placed dog food in the spaghetti dinner of firefighter Tennie Pierce four years ago.”  Pierce’s racial discrimination lawsuit eventually cost the city $2.8 million between a settlement and legal fees.

The Ohio Employer’s Law Blog observes that the case illustrates the need for good internal investigations.  Here is a blog with the other side of the dogfood prank story.

FL — $5.4 million awarded to former employee of Florida timeshare billionaire in sexual harassment case.  The case was originally dismissed on summary judgment.  The Court of Appeals sent the sexual harassment claim back for a trial.

WA — Former school administrator awarded $185,000 in discrimination case.

TX — Flight attendant awarded $15.6 million in harassment suit against harasser.  Employer was dismissed prior to trial.  Plaintiff intends to appeal that ruling.  (Hat tip to Ohio Employer’s Law Blog).

MA — $1.4 million verdict in sexual harassment and retaliation case against corrugated container company.

CA — $4.1 million settlement in “Lobstergate” case involving retaliation against police officers who reported co-workers diving for lobsters while on duty.