Behavioral Health Business reports that a jury in San Diego has awarded $105 million to a plaintiff who a drug addiction rehab center for wrongful termination and sexual harassment. The story reports that the jury awarded $35 million in economic damages and $70 million in punitive damages.
As we reported yesterday, a $103 million award in a Los Angeles lawsuit was reported to be the largest employment discrimination verdict in U.S. history. This case may not set a new record, because it involved claims of harassment rather than discrimination, and there have been other harassment verdicts in the hundreds of millions (see here), but this still has to be near the top of the list.
Given the size of the verdict, it seems unlikely that the punitive damages will survive posttrial review.
